WORK AND PENSIONS

Action Team for Jobs

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what results were achieved by the action team for jobs based in Leytonstone; what the cost was of the action team's work; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: Since its inception in October 2000, the Waltham Forest action team, which is based in Leytonstone, has engaged with 12,592 disadvantaged customers and has helped 3,424 people into work. The total cost, for the period April 2002 to March 2006, was £2,034,306.
	Many of the practices and ideas developed by action teams have been integrated into Jobcentre Plus mainstream programmes and services. Examples include outreach work in local communities and the greater discretionary funding that is available to advisers.
	Our future strategy will build on the success of action teams, and other community-based initiatives; including the introduction of a Deprived Areas Fund (DAF) from October 2006 and the Cities strategy proposed in our recent Green Paper.

Benefit Simplification Unit

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the work of the Benefit Simplification Unit, with particular reference to  (a) cost,  (b) staffing and  (c) performance to date.

James Plaskitt: When fully staffed, the Benefit Simplification Unit will have five full-time staff with additional input from senior officials. Gross costs during 2006-07 are estimated to be around £290,000. A secondee from Citizens Advice will also be joining the unit in June 2006 for six months, looking in particular at the customer interface.
	Simplifying the benefits system requires action on many fronts, particularly among those developing and maintaining benefit policy and procedures. The Benefit Simplification Unit's role will be to act as a catalyst in driving forward simplification, challenging existing complexity and ensuring that the need to bear down on complexity is at the heart of future benefit design and delivery.
	The unit published "Simplification: Guide to Best Practice" on 4 May 2006. A copy has been placed in the Library. The unit is now working to raise awareness of the simplification agenda across DWP and to embed best practice. Progress will be reported on annually in the departmental report.

Council Tax Benefit

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to raise the applicable amount of single person's income that is deemed eligible for council tax benefit.

James Plaskitt: We have already increased the applicable amount for all pensioners, whether single or couples.
	This took place when pension credit was introduced in October 2003. From then we committed almost £½ billion a year to increasing the amounts on which council tax benefit (and housing benefit) are based. This meant that around 2 million pensioner households became either entitled to council tax benefit for the first time or qualified for more help.
	We will continue to keep applicable amounts under review. They are subject to annual uprating.

Council Tenants

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many council tenants there were in each year since 1997; how many of those tenants were on housing benefit; what the cost of council tenants' housing benefit was in each year; and from what source the cost of such housing benefits has been met since it ceased to be a charge on housing revenue accounts.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the following tables. Since 2004-05, when responsibility for payment of rent rebate subsidy passed from the then ODPM to DWP, the cost of rent rebates has been a charge to local authorities; general funds. DWP pays subsidy to local authorities for expenditure incurred on rent rebates.
	
		
			  Number of households in local authority rented accommodation 
			  Thousand 
			   Number 
			 1997 3,263 
			 1998 3,209 
			 1999 3,093 
			 2000 2,904 
			 2001 2,879 
			 2002 2,735 
			 2003 2,542 
			 2004 2,469 
			 2005 2,250 
			  Notes:  1. Figures come from the Survey of English Housing, and are for England only. They can be accessed at www.odpm.gov.uk. 2. They relate to the number of households in local authority rented accommodation, not the number of people in local authority rented accommodation. 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of households in local authority rented properties that are receiving housing benefit 
			  Thousand 
			   Percentage 
			 1996-97 66 
			 1997-98 65 
			 1998-99 63 
			 1999-2000 62 
			 2000-01 62 
			 2001-02 61 
			 2002-03 64 
			 2003-04 64 
			  Notes: 1. This information is taken from the Survey of English Housing, and is for England only. It is available at www.odpm.gov.uk.  2. As with table 1, figures relate to households, not people in local authority rented accommodation. The figures refer to financial years, rather than calendar years as in table 1. 
		
	
	
		
			  Level of housing benefit paid to local authority tenants 
			  £ million 
			   Amount 
			 1996-97 5,569 
			 1997-98 5,495 
			 1998-99 5,405 
			 1999-2000 5,345 
			 2000-01 5,259 
			 2001-02 5,283 
			 2002-03 5,405 
			 2003-04 5,033 
			 2004-05 5,208 
			  Notes: 1. The figures presented are in £ million and reflect nominal costs for the whole of Great Britain. Figures relate to financial years.  2. They are total amounts paid to beneficiaries, irrespective of the source of funding, and include benefit spending reimbursed by DWP, spending on rent rebates financed within local authorities' housing revenue accounts, and benefit spending financed from local authorities' general funds.  3. They reflect the latest benefit-by-benefit estimate of out-turn, and not the amounts voted by Parliament.  4. Figures for 1999-2000 onwards are on a resource accounting land budgeting basis. There may be differences between figures quoted in these tables and those quoted in Department for Work and Pensions accounts.  5. Some figures for past years may have changed since previous publications owing to the incorporation of more up-to-date information. Also please note that from April 2003 responsibility for child benefit, guardians allowance and child's special allowance has been transferred to Inland Revenue.  6. Figures exclude asylum seekers from April 1999, since when the National Asylum Support Service has reimbursed DWP for benefits paid to asylum seekers.  7. This information is taken from the latest published housing benefit forecasts, available at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/Table8.xls

Customer Management System Call Centres

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Government make a profit from the operation of customer management system call centres.

Anne McGuire: The Government do not make any profit from the operation of customer management system call centres.

Employment and Support Allowance

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether young people under the age of 25 will receive a lower basic rate of the proposed employment and support allowance than those over the age of 25; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 25 May 2006
	The formal consultation exercise for the Green Paper "A new deal for welfare: Empowering People to Work" finished on 21 April. We are currently considering the responses and will publish a report in the early summer.

Error Task Force

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made in reducing levels of official error in the benefit system, with particular reference to the work of the Error Task Force.

James Plaskitt: The latest available estimates for the value of official error in the benefits system as a whole cover the year to March 2005 and total £0.9 billion. These were published in the Departmental Resource Account in January 2006.
	A task force was established in January 2006 to address the top value official errors in the main income-related benefits. The task force has identified a number of improvement measures which are now in the process of being implemented. The first set of official error figures covering the period of the task force are due to be published in summer 2007.

Gershon Efficiency Targets

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress his Department is making towards achieving compliance with Gershon efficiency targets; and if he will list the  (a) reallocations of savings targets between different sections of the Department and its agencies,  (b) arrangements for securing and monitoring service quality and  (c) external audit of compliance with the targets which have taken place in pursuit of those targets.

Jim Murphy: The Department is on track to meet its Gershon review efficiency targets. Progress against the targets has been reported in the Department's Departmental Report 2006 which was laid before Parliament on 11 May 2006.
	Indicative year-end headcount milestones by DWP business are set out as follows. DWP SR2004 financial settlement was funded net of required financial efficiency savings. The Department for Work and Pensions spending plans for the SR2004 period are set out in the Department's Departmental Report 2006.
	The Department's Efficiency Technical Note sets out how the Department will measure achievement of the efficiency targets from the Spending Review 2004 and departmental performance, including assurance arrangements for those measures. The Efficiency Technical Note is published on the Department's website.
	
		
			  FTE 
			   Headcount Milestones (ONS) 
			2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Business  Actual Headcount 1 March 2004  Actual Headcount 31 March 2006  Headcount Milestone 31 March 2006  Headcount Milestone 31 March 2007  Headcount Milestone 31 March 2008 
			 Jobcentre Plus 82,067 71,222 71,100 68,550 66,700 
			 Child Support Agency 10,928 11,034 11,350 10,650 9,600 
			 Disability Carers Service 7,263 6,398 6,500 6,050 5,600 
			 The Rent Service 0 674 750 650 200 
			 The Pension Service 19,890 13,846 14,650 13,800 9,600 
			 Appeals Service 850 759 800 0 0 
			 Corporate Human Resources 1,681 1,563 1,450 1,300 1,100 
			 Group Finance 5,814 5,745 6,000 5,500 5,000 
			 PSD 1,207 446 500 450 450 
			 Other Corporate and Shared Services 1,279 1,402 1,500 1,400 1,300 
			 WWEG 1,204 1,180 1,150 1,050 1,000 
			 Pensions Client Directorate 360 498 550 550 550 
			 Contingency n/a n/a 0 0 1,450 
			 DWP totals 132,543 114,767 116,300 109,950 102,550 
			  Notes: 1. These profiles are indicative and subject to review.  2. Profiles rounded to nearest 50 FTEs.  3. Other Corporate and Shared Services include—ID, CCSAD, LGSPG, Private Office, Communications and the ISBs.  4. The milestone figures do not include additional headcount (approx. 850) for new work (relating to Incapacity Benefits Reform, New Deal Plus Pilots, Administration of the Growth and 50/50/50 Funds and the Affordable Credit Deduction Scheme) that is outside of the Department's efficiency challenge.  Glossary: FTE—full time equivalent WWEG—Work, Welfare and Equality Group PSD—Programme and System Delivery ID—Information Directorate ISBs—Independent Statutory Bodies CCSAD—Cross Cutting Strategy Analysis Directorate LSPG—Law, Governance and Special Policy Group  Version: 7 rev

Housing Benefit

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of housing benefit claimants who are  (a) private tenants,  (b) housing association tenants and  (c) local authority tenants receive housing benefit payments which equate to less than 100 per cent. of their rent.

James Plaskitt: The most recent available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Percentage of housing benefit claimants whose benefit entitlement is less than their eligible rent, by tenure: Great Britain, May 2004 
			   Percentage 
			 Private tenants 23.3 
			 Registered social landlord tenants 21.2 
			 Local authority tenants 21.6 
			  Notes:  1. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.  2. Figures exclude any housing benefit extended-payment cases.  3. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.  4. Registered social landlords include housing associations (Housing Act 1996, section 2(1)). 5. A claimant's eligible rent may be less than their contractual rent.  Source:  Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2004.

Income Support

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information he collates on the accuracy of income support calculations.

James Plaskitt: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking what information he collates on the accuracy of Income Support calculations. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus carries out accuracy checks on Income Support calculations at national and at local site level.
	Data is collected nationally to measure progress towards our benefit delivery target. This target supports Jobcentre Plus in delivering our key business processes efficiently, accurately and to agreed standards. Performance is measured in five key Jobcentre Plus processes, including the accurate processing of Income Support claims. We currently have a target of 90 per cent accuracy. The latest performance figure for Income Support accuracy to the end of March 2006 is 89.39 per cent. Full claims checks of a sample of cases are made by a specialist external team 3 times a year.
	Data is also collected internally at a local level. The data collected includes random accuracy checks of staff work, with 100 per cent accuracy checks of the work of new staff after they have been trained. An accuracy database has been designed for the simple and accurate recording of the checks detailing any errors found.
	I hope this is helpful.

Job Vacancies

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average number of job vacancies recorded at job centres in each ward in Doncaster North was in  (a) 1984,  (b) 1994,  (c) 2004 and  (d) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: Information on Jobcentre Plus vacancy data at ward level is only available fromApril 2004 and is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Doncaster North Parliamentary Constituency 
			   Average number of 'live' unfilled vacancies on the register on any given day 
			  Ward  2004  2006 
			 Adwick 130 30 
			 Askern 50 20 
			 Bentley Central 100 60 
			 Bentley North Road 70 60 
			 Stainforth 170 60 
			 Thorne 240 70 
			  Source: Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System.

Labour Statistics

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job vacancies were on the register on average at job centres in Tamworth constituency in each year between 2001 and 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: Jobcentre Plus vacancy data by parliamentary constituency is only available from April 2004 and is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Tamworth Parliamentary Constituency 
			   Average number of 'live' unfilled vacancies on the register on any given day 
			 2004 1,740 
			 2005 1,130 
			  Source:  Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System

Labour Statistics

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action his Department is taking to increase the numbers of people in work aged 50 years and over in Hartlepool constituency.

Jim Murphy: Like all other customers, people aged 50 and over can benefit from the range of services provided by Jobcentre Plus, including access to jobs and help and support to find work.
	Additional help is provided to older people who do not find work quickly. New Deal 50 plus is a voluntary programme that provides people with advice and guidance from personal advisers, and access to in-work financial help through the 50 plus element of the working tax credit. Since April 2000, the programme has been successful in helping more than 150,000 older workers into employment, including 320 people in Hartlepool. Once in work, New Deal 50 plus customers can claim a training grant of up to £1,500 for training of which up to £300 can be used for life-long learning.
	People aged 50 and over, including those in Hartlepool, are also eligible for help from New Deal 25 plus. People who have been claiming jobseeker's allowance (JSA) for 18 months and who have not previously participated on New Deal 25 plus are already required to attend the Gateway stage of the New Deal 25 plus programme. This is a period of up to four months of intensive job search and specialist help and support to improve job prospects. This is followed by the intensive activity period (IAP) which is currently voluntary for people aged 50 and over. The IAP provides further support and pre-work training to help people return to work.
	Since April 2004, we have been piloting mandatory participation in the New Deal 25 plus IAP for people aged 50 to 59 who have been claiming JSA for18 months. The pilot has offered people in this age group more extensive help back to work. Hartlepool was not part of the pilot, however, interim pilot data has yielded positive results and, as announced in our Welfare Reform Green Paper, we will be commencing a phased national rollout.
	New Deal 50 plus is a voluntary programme for those who have been claiming benefits, including those claiming the pension credit, for six months. However, our Green Paper also announced our intention to pilot mandatory participation in New Deal 50 plus activities for people aged 50 to 59 who have been claiming JSA for six months. This will involve attendance at work-focused interviews and the development of action plans to help participants move into employment. Pilot locations have not yet been confirmed.
	In spring 2005 there were 3 million people claiming incapacity benefits in Great Britain, of which1.3 million were aged 50 or over. As nearly half of all benefit claimants aged 50 or over are on IB, they will be able to benefit from the rollout of the successful Pathways to Work service across the whole country which will be completed by 2008. Pathways offers new IB customers early support from skilled personal advisers and direct access to a "Choices Package" of employment programmes and clear financial incentives to make work pay. Any IB customer will be able to access the support and help available on a voluntary basis. Pathways has already begun helping people in the Hartlepool area, having rolled out there last year.
	Our Age Positive campaign works with employers and others to promote the business benefits of an age diverse workforce and best practice on age in recruitment, training and promotion. In May 2005 we launched the 'Be Ready' national information campaign to raise employer awareness of, and ability to adopt, flexible employment and retirement opportunities to support the recruitment and retention of older workers in advance of age legislation due in October 2006.

Pension Credit

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have received back payments of pension credit of  (a) £1,000 to £1,999 and  (b) £2,000 or more in each year since 2001.

James Purnell: The information requested is not available.

Pension Credit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the pension credit caseload handled by the Pensions Service was during  (a) January, (b) February,  (c) March and  (d) April 2006.

James Purnell: The information requested is not available; caseload figures are published on a quarterly basis each year.
	The most recent early caseload estimates available are for February 2006. As at February 2006, there were 2,706,200 pension credit claimants in Great Britain.
	 Notes:
	1. These figures are early estimates. Caseload figures are taken from the CMS scan at 17 February 2006, rated up to give end-month estimates. These are adjusted using the historical relationship between Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) and GMS data to give an estimate of the final WPLS figure.
	2. Caseload figures are a count of the number of pension credit claims in payment at a given time.
	3. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: 100 per cent. data from the Generalised Matching Service (QMS).

Women Pensioners

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women who are eligible to claim state retirement pension at 60 have not done so.

James Purnell: The information is not available in the format requested. However, it is estimated that approximately 15,000 women each year are eligible to but do not claim their state pension at age 60, but do so subsequently.
	 Note:
	Estimates pre-date the introduction of more general deferral arrangement from April 2005 which may encourage more women to defer claiming their state pension.
	 Source:
	GAD estimates based on DWP five per cent. administrative data.

Work (Over-50s)

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action his Department is taking to increase the number of people in work aged 50 years and over in Denton and Reddish constituency.

Jim Murphy: Like all other customers, people aged 50 and over can benefit from the range of services provided by Jobcentre Plus, including access to jobs and help and support to find work.
	Additional help is provided to older people who do not find work quickly. New Deal 50 plus is a voluntary programme that provides people with advice and guidance from personal advisers, and access to in-work financial help through the 50 plus element of the working tax credit. Since April 2000, the programme has been successful in helping more than 150,000 older workers into employment, including 240 people in Denton and Reddish. Once in work, New Deal 50 plus customers can claim a training grant of up to £1,500 for training of which up to £300 can be used for life-long learning.
	People aged 50 and over, including those in Denton and Reddish, are also eligible for help from New Deal 25 plus. People who have been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for 18 months and who have not previously participated on New Deal 25 plus, are already required to attend the Gateway stage of the New Deal 25 plus programme. This is a period of up to four months of intensive job search and specialist help and support to improve job prospects. This is followed by the intensive activity period (IAP) which is currently voluntary for people aged 50 and over. The IAP provides further support and pre-work training to help people return to work.
	Since April 2004, we have been piloting mandatory participation in the New Deal 25 plus IAP for people aged 50-59 who have been claiming JSA for 18 months. The pilot has offered people in this age group more extensive help back to work. Denton and Reddish was not part of the pilot, however, interim pilot data has yielded positive results and, as announced in our Welfare Reform Green Paper, we will be commencing a phased national rollout.
	New Deal 50 plus is a voluntary programme for those who have been claiming benefits, including those claiming the pension credit, for six months. However, our Green Paper also announced our intention to pilot mandatory participation in New Deal 50 plus activities for people aged 50-59 who have been claiming JSA for six months. This will involve attendance at work-focused interviews and the development of action plans to help participants move into employment. Pilot locations have not yet been confirmed.
	In spring 2005 there were 3 million people claiming incapacity benefits in Great Britain, of which 1.3 million were aged 50 or over. As nearly half of all benefit claimants aged 50 or over are on IB, they will be able to benefit from the rollout of the successful Pathways to Work service across the whole country which will be completed by 2008. Pathways offers new IB customers early support from skilled personal advisers and direct access to a 'Choices Package' of employment programmes and clear financial incentives to make work pay. Any IB customer will be able to access the support and help available on a voluntary basis. Pathways is due to rollout in the Denton and Reddish area in the future.
	Our Age Positive Campaign works with employers and others to promote the business benefits of an age diverse workforce and best practice on age in recruitment, training and promotion. In May 2005 we launched the 'Be Ready' national information campaign to raise employer awareness of, and ability to adopt, flexible employment and retirement opportunities to support the recruitment and retention of older workers in advance of age legislation due in October 2006.

Work Incentives

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to review the structure of  (a) housing benefit and  (b) council tax benefit in order to improve work incentives; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: We continue to keep work incentivesin both benefits under review. For example, since April 2004 a move into work has no longer required a fresh claim for either housing benefit or council tax benefit for the vast majority of people. Also, from April 2004 the extended payment scheme in housing benefit and council tax benefit has been widened to include people moving off incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance because they are starting work.
	As outlined in the Green Paper "A New Deal for Welfare: Empowering People to Work" published in February, we propose to roll-out the new local housing allowance to tenants in the private rented sector. The local housing allowance would be a major simplification of the housing benefit system which would make it easier for people to understand what in-work support they could receive. Our proposal to pay the local housing allowance directly to tenants, rather than to landlords, is also designed to promote financial inclusion and, where appropriate, help tenants develop financial and budgeting skills as they move towards work.

TREASURY

Birds

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many birds were imported into the  (a) UK and  (b) EU in each year between 2000 and 2005; and how many were of (i) wild-caught, (ii) captive-bred, (iii) ranched and (iv) farmed origin in each year.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

HEALTH

Abortions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has  (a) undertakenand  (b) evaluated on the number of women who died following complications from a legal abortion; when her Department last undertook an evidence reviewof the number of women who died following complications from a legal abortion that drew on(i) UK and (ii) international research; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The confidential inquiry into maternal and child health (CEMACH) investigates all maternal deaths, including those following a legal abortion, and publishes an evidence-based report, for the United Kingdom (UK), every three years. The latest report, "Why Mothers Die 2000-02", is available on its website at:
	www.cemach.org.uk
	The next report for 2003-05 will be published in late summer 2007. CEMACH continues to draw on all relevant UK and international research and the report's findings inform clinical guidelines on abortion care.

Acute Hospitals

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has commissioned into single-bed room provision in acute hospitals with particular reference to  (a) additional capital costs,  (b) patient stays and  (c) patient safety.

Andy Burnham: The Department has commissioned research into single bedroom provision in acute hospitals, which includes references to additional capital costs, patient stays and patient safety.
	Details of this research commissioned by the Department are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Project  Status 
			 "Architectural Environment and Patient Health Outcomes Database"—a comprehensive literature review which includes specific references to single bedroom provision. Available on the Department's knowledge and information portal (KIP) at www.dh.gov.uk 
			   
			 "Independent validation of isolation room design, commissioning and operation"—research to examine the performance of a new isolation room design in relation to patient safety specifically addressing the control of airflow and accordingly airborne infections. Due for completion September 2006 
			   
			 "What is the size and nature of the current need for single room isolation in hospital and how does success or failure to isolate patients affect the control of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)?"—assessment of a national health service facility. Subject to peer review 
			   
			 "Providing single rooms for patients—a Study of the benefits to patients & staff within NHS in England"—specifically addresses flexibility, infection control and patient focus in three NHS facilities. Available on the Department's KIP at www.dh.gov.uk 
			   
			 "One patient one room—Theory and Practice. An evaluation of Leeds Nuffield Hospital" —discusses the case for single bedroom accommodation including costs, occupancy, staffing and reduction of infections. Available on the Department's KIP at www.dh.gov.uk 
			   
			 "Ward layouts with single rooms and space for flexibility"—an examination of the benefits of single rooms in acute hospital accommodation, establishing the minimum space requirements around the hospital bed. Available on the Department's KIP at www.dh.gov.uk 
			   
			 "The Cost Effectiveness of Hospital Design: Options to improve patient safety and well-being"—includes an evaluation of single rooms. Commenced 1 April 2006—due for completion 31 March 2008

Alcohol Treatment Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the scheme to establish alcohol health workers in accident and emergency departments, general practitioner surgeries and some criminal justice settings announced in November 2005 will begin.

Caroline Flint: This scheme is an aspect of a series of trailblazer pilot sites to be implemented in 24 dedicated sites. We are in discussion with strategic health authorities as to how they can be delivered and when they will begin.

Alcohol Treatment Services

Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the recent Alcohol Needs Assessment Research Project report, what steps she is taking  (a) to address the gap identified between the provision of alcohol treatment and demand and  (b) to increase access to and capacity of specialist alcohol treatment services.

Caroline Flint: Responsibility to improve services and fund service improvements rests with local primary care trusts.
	In order to assist local commissioners the Department published the alcohol needs assessment research project (ANARP) in November 2005. This is the first comprehensive study of the need for and provision of alcohol services in England.
	The Department has launched "Alcohol Misuse Interventions: Guidance on Developing a Local Programme of Improvement", for commissioners developing a local programme of improvement for local alcohol treatment services. We have also sponsored a series of regional conferences to highlight the need for improved focus around alcohol interventions.
	A comprehensive review of the evidence base for the effectiveness of alcohol treatment interventions will to be published shortly, alongside guidance on "Models of Care for Alcohol Misusers", which will lay out how best to combine treatment approaches into an effective local alcohol treatment system.

Ambulance Service

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average response time for ambulances in  (a) England,  (b) each region and  (c) the Tees Valley was in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The Department collects ambulance response time data by ambulance trust rather than by geographical area, and in relation to response time requirements rather than by average response time. Therefore, the information requested is not centrally collected in the required format.
	The data that the Department does collect on ambulance response times has been published on an annual basis in the statistical bulletin, "Ambulance services, England". These documents are all available in the Library and from 1998-99. The latest data is available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/ll/36/79/04113679.pdf.
	These publications include ambulance response time data for the Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Trust, which covers Tees Valley, and for the whole of England.

Bone Marrow Doners

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to increase the  (a) number and  (b) diversity of bone marrow donors.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 18 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 1163-64W.

Childhood Immunisation

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to improve childhood vaccination take up for families living in the most disadvantaged primary care trust areas.

Ivan Lewis: Since November 2004, the Department has taken forward a wide-ranging assessment to investigate how best to support the improvement of child and adult immunisation services through commissioning including:
	an examination of the systems and commissioning routes needed to improve access and increase low uptake; and
	a review of the way services could deliver more effectively for the people currently missing out.
	Primary care trusts' (PCTs) experience of the new commissioning routes for immunisation is still growing and there is an opportunity to share good practice around planning and service delivery using these mechanisms. In support of this, the Department has:
	prepared guidance for the wave two national purchasing pilots of alternative providers for immunisation services (referred to as the alternative personal medical services (ARMS) wave two pilots);
	developed a series of targets for local use as part of the Better Metrics project in conjunction with the London Health Observatory to allow service managers to monitor the performance of services targeted at deprived or disadvantaged groups;
	held two national events with national health service primary care contracting to share good practice and facilitate learning networks; and
	in the recent White Paper, announced measures to free up the target payment funds and allow them to be carried across into other contract forms. It also highlighted a recent example of a nurse-led personal medical services that successfully increase immunisation uptake rates among poor and deprived groups who were planning to apply for ARMS status.
	The Department is working in partnership across policy teams, NHS Employers, other Government Departments (including the Department for Education and Skills, Social Exclusion Unit and Neighbourhood Renewal Unit) and a range of NHS implementing agencies in order to improve childhood immunisation take up for families. Specifically:
	continue collaboration with our stakeholder to examine the systems and commissioning routes that have worked to improve access and increase low uptake;
	requiring the Health Protection Agency to promote the benefit of opportunistic immunisation, in order to reach disadvantaged groups more effectively;
	continue to deliver a series of reports and seminars and generate concrete recommendations for PCTs and commissioners; and
	issued joint guidance with neighbourhood renewal unit on local partnerships that led to a number of PCTs and councils to submit and secure a local area agreement for immunisation among disadvantaged groups.

Childhood Immunisation

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the childhood immunisation take-up rate is in primary care trusts where GPs have opted out of providing this service.

Ivan Lewis: The information in the form requested is not available.
	There is currently no nationally available analysis of the impact of those general practitioners opting out on immunisation uptake rates.
	Recent analysis of the proportion of general medical services partnerships in England opting out of childhood immunisation schemes as at 30 September 2004 showed even though the majority of partnerships (93.7 per cent.) had not opted out, some had. The practices opting out are disproportionately likely to be in deprived areas.

Children's Hospices

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions  (a) she and  (b) Ministers in her Department have visited children's hospices on official business in each of the last five years; and which hospices were visited on each occasion.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Since May 2005, no Departmental Minister has yet visited a children's hospice on official business. In a series of meetings with doctors and other representatives from hospices, the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Mr. Byrne) met with doctors and representatives of Butterwick Hospice on 14 February and Little Havens Children's Hospice on 9 May.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent commitment the Government have made to support the work of specialist services for  (a) myalgic encephalomyelitis and encephalopathy and  (b) chronic fatigue syndrome; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: In 2003, the Department announced £8.5 million central funding to stimulate improvements in care, access to treatment and to ensure the long-term continuing provision of services for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/encephalopathy and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) across England. This resulted in the development of 13 clinical network co-coordinating centres and 36 local multi-disciplinary teams, as well as 11 specialist children and young people teams to support the development of multi-disciplinary CFS/ME services in their designated area.
	Funding of these services from 2006-07 is included within the resource allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs), to facilitate the continuation of services following the end of the ring-fenced period of funding. CFS/ME services are therefore considered as part of the future local planning of services and PCTs can take steps to ensure the establishment of further CFS/ME services, where there is local need.
	National health service organisations are expected to demonstrate that they are making progress towards achieving the level of service quality described in the national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions. The NSF sets out a clear vision of how health and social care organisations can improve the quality of care, consistency and responsiveness of their services and help improve the lives of people with neurological conditions, including CFS/ME. The Healthcare Commission and the Commission for Social Care Inspection can undertake performance reviews to assess progress on local implementation of the NSF.

Community Nursing

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts are operating a freeze on community nursing vacancies.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Consultations

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many public consultations her Department undertook in 2005; and what the cost was  (a) in total and  (b) of each consultation.

Ivan Lewis: During the year 2005 the Department launched 47 formal public consultations in order to inform the Department's policy development.
	Information on the cost of each consultation and the total cost of all consultations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Report

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department  (a) has undertaken and  (b) plans to undertake into the reasons for the slippage of target (i) 3 and (ii) 4 set out on page 13 of the Departmental Report 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The "Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation" White Paper (1999) set out targets to reduce rates of death and serious injury from accidents by 2010. Analysis of the data suggests that the 65 and over age group accounts for the main part of the increasein the death rate from accidents, and in hospital admissions for serious accidental injury. Falls account for the main part of the increase in death rates in this group, and are the major contributor to the increase in admissions for serious accidental injury in this group. The Department is keeping the targets under review to ensure that areas of slippage are dealt with as appropriate.

Departmental Report

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for progress on each of the targets set out on pages 13 and 14 of the Departmental Report 2006; to whom each person reports; what recent discussions she has had about implementation of each target; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: My hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health has overall responsibility for delivering the targets set out in the Department's public service agreement. She is supported in delivering her functions through the Department. The Secretary of State has regular meetings with the Permanent Secretary, the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Executive, to apprise her of progress against targets and other matters.

Departmental Report

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many copies of the Departmental Report 2006 were printed; at what cost; how many were purchased for  (a) internal departmental use,  (b) NHS primary care trusts and  (c) interested bodies and organisations; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: 1,200 copies of the 2006 Departmental Report were printed, at a total cost of £23,551. Half were for internal departmental use and the remainder were for The Stationery Office. None were sent to national health service bodies.

Drug Strategy

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Government have spent on the Drug Strategy in each year since it was introduced; and how much of that sum was spent on  (a) purchasing programmes of treatment and  (b) staff systems and other costs relating to overseeing its expenditure in each year.

Ivan Lewis: Annual direct expenditure for tackling drugs for the last five years for which figures are available is shown in the second column of table one. We are unable to provide information regarding monies spent on purchasing programmes of treatment and staff systems in the format requested. However, the pooled drug treatment budget (PTB) since 2001, including yearly local mainstream spend, is shown in total in table one. This money is spent directly on delivery treatment, as well as improving access to treatment, for example for offenders via drug intervention programmes, and supporting drug misusers after they come out of treatment.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  £ million 
			   PTB and local funding  Annual direct expenditure for tackling drugs 
			 2001-02 287 932 
			 2002-03 322 1,026 
			 2003-04 436 1,244 
			 2004-05 457 1,344 
			 2005-06 508 1,483

Emergency Treatment

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what working definitions are used for  (a) accident and emergency departments,  (b) walk-in centres and  (c) minor injuries units for the purposes of determining which procedures are carried out in each.

Rosie Winterton: Accident and emergency (A&E) departments are officially classified into three types. The types include major departments (type one), single-speciality departments (type two) and non consultant-led services (type three). Type three services are mainly minor injury and illness and include minor injury units (MIUs) and walk-in centres (WiCs).
	The services which it is clinically appropriate for any individual A&E department, MIU or WiC to provide are a matter for local clinical judgement according to local skills and competencies.

Enzyme Replacement Therapy

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 9 May 2006,  Official Report, column 217W, on enzyme replacement therapy, when she expects a decision to be made on whether the funding of enzyme replacement therapies for lysosomal storage diseases will continue under the present National Specialist Commissioning Advisory Group arrangements after 31 May 2007.

Andy Burnham: It has not yet been decided when a decision will be made on whether the funding of enzyme replacement therapies for lysosomal storage disorders will continue under the present national specialist commissioning advisory group arrangements after 31 May 2007.

Fairer Charging Policy

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the implementation of the Fairer Charging Policy for care payments;
	(2)  what mechanisms exist to ensure that social care charges to individuals do not exceed the income they receive.

Ivan Lewis: It is for councils to decide how to set charges for non-residential social services. The legal basis is that charges generally should be 'reasonable' and that no one should be asked to pay more than they reasonably can. The position contrasts with that on charges for residential care, where regulations prescribe a national means test, which councils must follow.
	The Department of Health issued statutory guidance, "Fairer Charging Policies for Home Care and other Non-residential Social Services—Guidance for Councils with Social Services Responsibilities", which is available in the Library, to all local councils in November 2001. It was amended in September 2003 to reflect the introduction of pension credits. It does not seek to change councils' power to charge, or not, for these services.
	The guidance aims to ensure in particular that service users on low incomes are protected from charging and that any charges levied on disability benefits are subject to an assessment of disability costs, to ensure their reasonableness. Councils are required to ensure that charges do not put any users' incomes below basic income support levels or the guarantee credit of pension credit, plus a buffer of 25 per cent. This can lead to real improvements in the position of many users, who will cease to pay charges or pay a smaller charge.

Folic Acid

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research she has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effects of high levels of folic acid on the incidence of twins following in vitro fertilisation; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The effects of folic acid on multiple births, including effects following in vitro fertilisation, is currently being considered by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition as part of its report on "Folate and Disease Prevention". The report is expected to be published later this year.

Food Supplements Directive

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether officials in her Department have held discussions with the Better Regulation Task Force on a regulatory impact assessment in relation to setting maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals under the food supplements directive; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  when she last met the EU Commissioner responsible for implementation of the food supplements directive to discuss its potential impact on the choice of products available to British consumers; and what progress was made at the meeting;
	(3)  what progress is being made by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in meeting counterparts from competent authorities in each other member state of the EU to discuss the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals under the food supplements directive; and what further action the FSA is planning to promote her objectives;
	(4)  when she expects member states to receive from the European Commission the consultation document on setting the maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals under the food supplements directive;
	(5)  with which other EU member states she has held recent meetings to discuss setting the maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals under the food supplements directive; and with which other member states she plans to hold discussions.

Caroline Flint: The issue of obtaining data for a regulatory impact assessment in relation to setting maximum levels for vitamin and minerals under the food supplements directive has been discussed with the better regulation task force (BRTF). The BRTF has agreed in principle to this and officials will discuss this further with the BRTF.
	I spoke with the European Union Commissioner responsible for implementation of the food supplements directive to discuss its potential impact on the choice of products available to British consumers on 7 and 12 July 2005.
	To date, Food Standards Agency (FSA) officials have met with counterparts from other competent authorities in the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Finland, France and Italy. These meetings have provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on the setting of maximum safe levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements. The FSA will seek further opportunities for meetings with officials from other member states and interested parties.
	The European Commission has indicated that it will bring forward discussion documents in autumn 2006 to gain views from member states about the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements.
	The Public Health Minister has written to her counterparts in other member states and members of the European Parliament informing them of the United Kingdom's position on setting maximum permitted levels, and that FSA officials will be visiting certain member states to discuss this issue and vitamins and vitamins and minerals in food supplements.

General Practitioners

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners per 100,000 population there were in  (a) the Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust area and  (b) England in each year since 2003.

Rosie Winterton: The requested information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)( 1)  per 100,000 head of population, for England and Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust, at 30 September 2003-2005 
			  Englandnumbers (headcount) 
			   2003  2004  2005 
			 All Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1) 30,358 31,523 32,738 
			 All Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1) per 100,000 head of population 60.9 62.9 64.9 
			  of which:
			 5M7 Sutton and Merton PCT
			 All Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1) 212 234 241 
			 All Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)(1) per 100,000 head of pop 57.3 63.3 65.2 
			 (1) General medical practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) includes contracted GPs , CMS others and PMS others. Prior to September 2004 this group included GMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other, flexible career scheme GPs and GP returners.  Note: 2004 population figures from the 2001 ONS resident estimates have been used for 2005 organisation calculations, as population figures for 2005 at organisation level are not yet available, this figure is therefore subject to change.   Source:  The Information Centre for health and social care general and personal medical services statistics 2001 ONS Population Census

Health Services (Cornwall)

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) nursing and  (b) residential care beds there are in Cornwall; and how many there were in (i) 1996, (ii) 2001 and (iii) 2005.

Caroline Flint: Table 1 shows the number of residential and nursing care home places in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, as at 31 March in 1996 and 2001.
	
		
			  Table 1: Numbers of residential and nursing care home places in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 
			  Rounded data 
			   At 31 March: 
			   1996  2001 
			 Residential places(1) 5,400 4,800 
			 Nursing places(2, 3) 2,600 3,200 
			 Total places(4) 8,000 8,000 
			 (1) Residential data are for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly unitary authorities.  (2 )Nursing data are for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly health authority. (3 )Nursing data include places in general nursing homes, mental nursing homes and private hospitals and clinics.  (4 )Totals may not equal the sum of parts due to rounding. 
		
	
	I understand from the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), which took over the responsibility for the regulation and inspection of care homes in England on 1 April 2004, that the number of nursing and residential care homes and beds in Cornwall Local Authority, as at 31 March 2005, was as shown in Table 2. There are some definitional differences between these data and those for years up to 2001.
	
		
			  Table 2: Numbers of care homes and places for Cornwall Local Authority  at 31 March 2005 
			  Care home type  Homes  Places 
			 Nursing 51 1,945 
			 Residential 216 3,683 
			 Total 267 5,628 
			  Source:  CSCI registration and inspection database.

Hospital Alerts

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will define  (a) red,  (b) black and  (c) all other hospital alerts.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is aware that some national health service trusts and ambulance trusts operate local bed capacity management systems which incorporate coloured alerts. However, these are local arrangements and there is no national definition of particular colour alerts.

Hospital Cleanliness

Ann Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in improving hospital cleanliness.

Andy Burnham: Hospital cleanliness is measured annually as part of the patient environment action team (PEAT) assessment. The first inspections in 2000 found around one-third of trusts to have poor or unacceptable standards—since then there has been a steady improvement and in 2004-05, fewer than five per cent. were classified as poor or unacceptable. The latest PEAT inspections have recently been completed, and the results will be published in due course.
	The Department has a comprehensive and multi-faceted programme of work around cleaner hospitals covering a wide range of issues, including:
	setting standards that are monitored by the Healthcare Commission;
	increased investment;
	involving ward sisters and charge nurses;
	inspecting hospitals;
	issuing guidance;
	raising awareness; and
	research into alternative cleaning and monitoring technologies.

Hospital Transportation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 13 March 2006,  Official Report, column 2029W, if she will collect data in respect of the frequency of transportation between hospitals of infants requiring treatment in special care baby units; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: No. In line with the principles of shifting the balance to power to local national health service organisations, we wish to minimise the burden of all central information requirements on the health service.
	It is for local neonatal networks and hospital trusts to determine the appropriate number of special care baby cots to ensure there is provision for those babies requiring such care. Strategic health authority areas will increase or decrease cots to reflect demand.

Hospitals

Jim Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) NHS trusts and  (b) foundation hospitals in England recorded unsafe staffing levels in 2005.

Rosie Winterton: All national health service organisations are required to ensure that they have sufficient appropriately trained staff to deliver high quality care in safe environments. Their performance in terms of safety and care environments is reviewed by the Healthcare Commission. The Department does not collect the information requested.

Hospitals

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals were failing to meet Government targets in  (a) England and  (b) the boroughs of the Tees Valley sub-region in the latest month for which figures are available.

Andy Burnham: In line with the principles of devolution, the Department monitors progress against local delivery plans that strategic health authorities agree with primary care trusts. These plans are based on current Government priorities set out in "National Standards, Local Action: Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework 2005/06-2007/08" at SHA level.
	Individual national health service trust performance against national priorities is assessed by the independent regulator the Healthcare Commission through their annual performance ratings process. The latest performance ratings are available on the Healthcare Commission's website at: ratings2005.healthcarecommission.org.uk/.

Human Embryos

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department last undertook a review into the scientific evidence of when human life begins that drew on  (a) UK and  (b) international research; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Under English law, a foetus is not recognised as being a separate person from its mother. It has no rights independent of its mother until it is born alive and has an independent existence.

Imported Blood Products

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department became aware of the higher risk of hepatitis C contamination from imported blood products; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The issues around the risk of haemophilia patients acquiring infection with hepatitis C through contaminated blood products are complex. We understand that there has been concern that plasma imported from the United States may have carried a higher risk of transmitting hepatitis C. However, knowledge of the viral risks associated with both domestically produced and imported blood products evolved over time.
	Blood products contain plasma pooled from many thousands of donors, and only one donation needs to carry the virus to infect the whole batch. Regardless of the source, or of the manufacturer of the plasma used, all products were potentially contaminated with the hepatitis C virus as a result of the need for pooling and the prevalence of the virus in blood donor populations around the world.

Methadone

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what alternatives to methadone are used by the NHS.

Caroline Flint: Methadone remains the main treatment of the national health service for the management of opiate dependence. The main alternative drug for management of opiate dependence is buprenorphine(1), used increasingly in the NHS since the Department amended regulations in April 2001 to enable practitioners to prescribe the drug for opiate dependence safely through instalment dispensing.
	Patients may also be prescribed pharmaceutical diamorphine, and in a small number of cases alternative opiates such as clonidine and lofexidine to substitute for illicit opiate use, with decisions based on clinical judgement for each particular case.
	As part of the Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring drug treatment is delivered in a way that maximises the potential for a successful outcome, the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence is currently conducting a review of the effectiveness of methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone in the treatment of drug misusers, due for publication in March 2007.
	Although outcomes generally are better for those who remain on opiate substitution treatment, there has been an increase in focus on commissioning effective support for patients who are ready to benefit from abstinence based approaches to optimise such treatment pathways. Rehabilitation services or aftercare support are available for those opiate dependent drug users who can successfully become drug-free and who no longer require treatments such as methadone.
	(1) Marketing Authorisation, Subutex

Milk Tokens

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the level of take up of milk tokens by pregnant women.

Caroline Flint: Data are not collected on the number of pregnant women who may be eligible for free milk under the welfare food scheme. There are approximately 25,500 pregnant women currently in receipt of milk tokens. Promotion of the new Healthy Start scheme planned for late autumn this year is expected to at least maintain the current claim volumes.

Ministerial Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for Ministers of State in her Department on foreign visits in each of the last three years;
	(2)  on how many occasions Ministers of State in her Department stayed overnight in  (a) five star,  (b) four star and  (c) three star hotels on foreign visits in each of the last three years.

Ivan Lewis: This information cannot be supplied within disproportionate costs.
	Under the terms of the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers", when travelling on official business Ministers are expected to make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.
	Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year, this information includes accommodation costs. Copies are available in the Library.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Department is taking to ensure effective medical education in the diagnosis and treatment of myalgic  (a) encephalomyelitis and  (b) encephalopathy.

Rosie Winterton: Medical schools develop their own undergraduate medical curriculum in the light of recommendations from the General Medical Council's Education Committee, which has the statutory responsibility to determine the extent of knowledge and skill required for the granting of primary medical qualifications in the United Kingdom (UK). The Department does not provide direction on the content of medical school courses. Medical schools are autonomous bodies and Ministers are precluded by legislation from intervening in their internal affairs, including curriculum content.
	The content and standard of postgraduate medical training is the responsibility of the postgraduate medical education and training board, which is the competent authority for postgraduate medical training in the UK.

NHS Commissioning

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department's taskforce will publish its review of NHS commissioning of specialised services.

Andy Burnham: The report of the review of commissioning arrangements for specialised services was published on the Department's website and is available at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/52/16/04135216.pdf.
	Copies are being placed in the Library.

NHS Finance

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure consistent standards of patient care in hospital trusts seeking to recover from financial deficit.

Andy Burnham: All areas of the country have received record increases in their level of funding for the national health service. Funding of the NHS has increased from £34.7 billion in 1997-98 to £69.7 billion in 2004-05. By 2007-08, spending on the NHS will have increased to over £92 billion. This level of investment should enable NHS organisations to deliver key national and financial targets.
	Priorities for the NHS are set out in "National Standards, Local Action: Health and Social Care Standards and Planning Framework 2005/06-2007/08", which is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/08/60/58/04086058.pdf
	These include details of health care standards, existing commitments and new national targets. All NHS organisations are expected to meet these priorities and achieve financial balance. The independent regulator, the Healthcare Commission, assesses health care organisations performance against these priorities including financial balance.

NHS Management

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the turnover rate for NHS trust  (a) chief executives,  (b) chairmen and  (c) senior managers was in each year for which records are available.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

NHS Trusts

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the NHS trusts that have funded visits abroad for staff in the last 12 months; and in each case what was the  (a) purpose and  (b) cost was of each trip.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS Trusts

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many chief executives were recruited to NHS trusts in 2005;
	(2)  how many of the chief executives recruited to NHS trusts in 2005 were  (a) head hunted and  (b) applied for advertised vacancies;
	(3)  how many of the chief executives recruited to NHS trusts in 2005 came from a background predominantly in the private sector.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Pharmaceutical Wholesalers

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will take steps to amend the Medicines Act 1969 to require the Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to inspect the warehouses and operations of companies which self-distribute medicines and drugs;
	(2)  if she will require the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to extend its inspection role to cover companies which self-distribute medicines and drugs and which are not covered by the requirement of the Medicines Act 1969.

Andy Burnham: The Medicines Act 1968, as amended, and orders and regulations under that Act, regulate the distribution of medicinal products in the United Kingdom. These provisions transpose into the United Kingdom's law the relevant requirements of Directive 2001/83/EC relating to medicinal products for human use.
	Companies wishing to wholesale distribute medicines for human use are required, under the Act and related regulations, to be licensed and inspected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) unless an exemption applies.
	The term self-distribute, in relation to medicines for human use, is not a term used or defined in Directive 2001/83/EC or the United Kingdom medicines legislation, nor in official guidance published by the MHRA.
	The supply of medicines from a company's central distribution warehouse to its own retail outlets is not considered to be wholesale distribution as the supply is within the same legal entity.
	The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain is therefore responsible for the inspection of retail pharmacy businesses in England and Wales at which medicinal products are sold by retail or supplied in circumstances corresponding to retail.

Pharmaceutical Wholesalers

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many and what percentage of pharmaceutical wholesaler dealer licence holders have been inspected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency within the target period of three years;
	(2)  how many inspectors the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has available to inspect pharmaceutical wholesaler licence holders; and how many inspections each inspector has carried out in each of the last three years.

Andy Burnham: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the Government body responsible for the safety and licensing of medicines in the United Kingdom, employs six full-time good distribution practice inspectors. These inspectors inspect the facilities of licensed wholesale dealers of medicines to confirm compliance with the European Commission's guideline on good distribution practice and UK medicines regulations.
	The current level of resource enables a regular and repeated inspection programme (at specified frequencies) of all (100 per cent.) of the facilities from where licensed wholesale distributors of medicinal products conduct their wholesale business to be maintained.
	Details for the last three years the numbers of inspections performed by good distribution practice inspectors is shown in the table:
	
		
			   Number of inspections 
			  Inspector  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 1 36 82 73 
			 2 63 85 80 
			 3 65 85 82 
			 4 61 83 87 
			 5 61 79 81 
			 6 (1)— (1)— (2)— 
			 Total 302 414 403 
			 (1) Not in post (2) Training 
		
	
	For the year 2003-04 an additional GDP inspector was employed. This inspector performed 16 site inspections which are included in the totals for that year.

Prescription Charges

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate the annual increase in revenue if prescription charges had been increased in line with the rise in the retail price index since the present level of charges was established.

Andy Burnham: The information available in respect of England is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Estimated change in revenue from prescription charges and pre-payment certificate fees if these had been increase in line with inflation. 
			   Change in revenue (£ million) 
			 1971 -6.0 
			 1972 1.5 
			 1973 2.1 
			 1974 3.8 
			 1975 5.7 
			 1976 3.1 
			 1977 3.4 
			 1978 1.8 
			 1979 -15.8 
			 1980 -17.9 
			 1981 -16.7 
			 1982 -15.4 
			 1983 -2.3 
			 1984 -8.7 
			 1985 -17.5 
			 1986 -8.0 
			 1987 -6.1 
			 1988 -3.4 
			 1989 -0.1 
			 1990 3.1 
			 1991 -12.4 
			 1992 -12.3 
			 1993 -22.4 
			 1994 -20.1 
			 1995 -15.0 
			 1996 -6.2 
			 1997 2.7 
			 1998 1.8 
			 1999 -2.2 
			 2000 6.1 
			 2001 0.1 
			 2002 0.2

Primary Care Trusts

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many public responses there were to proposals for primary care trust reorganisation in  (a) Trent,  (b) South Yorkshire and  (c) England;
	(2)  how many members of the general public attended each primary care trust reorganisation meeting in  (a) Trent and  (b) South Yorkshire.

Andy Burnham: The information regarding responses to local consultations on primary care trust reconfiguration and attendance at public meetings is as follows.
	
		
			   PCTs 
			   Trent  South Yorkshire  England 
			 Stakeholder meetings 29 42 830 
			 Public attendance 860 69 11,785 
			 Responses 5,479 200 17,104 
			 Consultation documents 17,000 2,529 121,819 
			 Consultation document download 0 839 22,533 
			 Leaflet drops 0 0 152,300 
			 Petition 7,351 11,271 29,556

Primary Care Trusts

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any financial surplus of the Bedford Primary Care Trust will be used to subsidise the financial deficit of the Bedfordshire Heartlands Primary Care Trust following the implementation of the new configuration of primary care trusts in Bedfordshire; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: It will be for strategic health authorities and the newly formed primary care trusts to manage, and continue to use, the funding available to them in the best possible way to deliver government targets and make service improvements.
	The reconfiguration exercise should not be used locally to move resources from high performing areas to under-performing areas and vice versa. Local managers should be ensuring that the quality of financial management in all organisations is raised to the level of the best.

Private Finance Initiative Projects

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list reviews the Department is undertaking of private finance initiatives projects; and whether she expects the review to affect the timescale for the project in each case.

Andy Burnham: Departmental officials will be reviewing all private finance initiative schemes yet to reach financial close and with an expected capital value of greater than £75 million. The current list of such schemes is as follows:
	University Hospital North Staffordshire National Health Service Trust
	Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust
	Peterborough and Stamford Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
	Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
	University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
	Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust
	North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust
	Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust
	Tameside and Glossop NHS Trust
	Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust
	Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
	South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust
	Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust
	Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust
	The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust
	North West London Hospitals NHS Trust
	North Bristol NHS Trust
	Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
	Mersey Care NHS Trust
	Royal Wolverhampton Hospital NHS Trust
	Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
	United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust
	Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust
	Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
	East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
	West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust
	Southend Hospital NHS Trust
	Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital NHS Trust
	Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
	Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Trusts
	Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
	Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital NHS Trust
	Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust
	Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust
	Northampton General NHS Trust
	Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust
	The purpose of the review process is to deliver schemes that are financially viable and sustainable over the long-term. It may be that in pursuit of achieving these objectives certain schemes experience limited delays.

Promotion Boards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what promotion boards have been held in her Department in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: None. The Department assesses the suitability of employees for promotion on a job specific basis.

Small Change Big Difference

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department and its agencies have taken following the launch of the Government's Small Change Big Difference campaign.

Caroline Flint: We have followed up with "small change, big difference" event guests to explore tailored options for the initiative's roll-out. A series of further seminars is being planned. They will include the development of the logo and brand, investigating possible joint campaign work, the integration of the initiative into the wider public health framework and the work of all our key stakeholders.
	A partnership programme will begin aligning key commercial and public sector partners with existing and new programme delivery, the aim being to create a number of dedicated, dynamic partnership programmes between government, commercial partners and non-governmental organisations in direct support of "Choosing Health" objectives. These partnerships will define routes to communicate with people through, for example, their place of work, as well as their local shops and during their leisure activities about making healthier choices in their lives.

Strategic Health Authorities

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many strategic health authority  (a) chief executives,  (b) chairmen and  (c) senior managers have (i) medical, (ii) dental, (iii) nursing and (iv) other qualifications and previous experience of working in the (A) private sector and (B) NHS.

Rosie Winterton: Information in respect of chief executives and senior managers is not collected centrally. The NHS Appointments Commission is responsible for appointing the chairmen of NHS organisations, a number of whom are retired clinicians. I have asked the NHS Appointments Commission to write to you direct with the information you seek.

Telephone Advice Lines

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many telephone advice lines her Department and its non-departmental public bodies support; how many telephone advisers each employs; and how much funding is provided to each by  (a) her Department and its non-departmental public bodies,  (b) other Government departments,  (c) the private sector and  (d) the voluntary sector.

Ivan Lewis: The Department's call centre provides information of a general nature to members of the public about the work of the Department. It responds to about 120,000 telephone calls a year and most of the emails sent through the Department's website. The annual cost is £505,715.
	There would be a disproportionate cost in identifying advice lines and funding by the Department in external bodies, since this is not ringfenced in funding given to those organisations.

Tuberculosis

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the 20 local authority areas with the highest incidence of tuberculosis; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The 20 local authorities with the highest rates of notified cases of tuberculosis in England in the last year for which data is available are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Local authority  2004 
			 Hackney 95.1 
			 Newham 92.0 
			 Slough Unitary Authority (UA) 68.0 
			 Brent 60.9 
			 Tower Hamlets 57.8 
			 Harrow 57.1 
			 Leicester UA 56.5 
			 Luton UA 47.3 
			 Hillingdon 47.0 
			 Islington 46.7 
			 Greenwich 45.6 
			 Blackburn with Darwen UA 42.1 
			 Wolverhampton 41.0 
			 Birmingham 40.1 
			 Ealing 38.9 
			 Manchester 38.9 
			 Waltham Forest 38.3 
			 Southwark 38.1 
			 City of Westminster 37.4 
			 Enfield 35.7 
			  Note:  Data as at 3 May 2006.  Source:  Statutory notifications of infectious diseases, Health Protection Agency. Rates shown are per 100,000 population.

United Health Europe

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times  (a) she,  (b) her predecessor as Secretary of State and  (c) another Health Minister met representatives of United Health Europe in 2005; and what the dates were of these meetings.

Ivan Lewis: Neither the current nor the former Secretary of State for Health met with representatives of United Health Europe in 2005.
	The President of United Health Europe attended a meeting where Lord Warner made a speech at the Adam Smith Institute on 4 October 2005.
	Liam Byrne met with the President of United Health Europe on 27 July 2005.

Work Permit Regulations

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department conducted a race equality impact assessment concerning changes to the work permit regulations as they affect medical staff.

Rosie Winterton: A partial race equality impact assessment was carried out on the proposed points based system, which had the effect of ending permit-free training. A full one will be undertaken when the system is fully implemented.
	On advice, a REIA has not been carried out on the recent changes to the immigration rules for postgraduate doctors and dentists which brought the immigration provisions for non-European Economic Area (EEA) junior and dentists into line with the immigration provisions for non-EEA nationals wanting to work in any other sector of the United Kingdom labour market.

Wound Care

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on training and endorsements for wound care nurses in 2005; and what assessment her Department has undertaken of the value for money obtained from the expenditure.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is for national health service trusts to decide on the skills and knowledge needed by their nursing work force in order to meet the needs of patients.

DEFENCE

Air Miles

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many free air miles have been accrued by senior civil servants in his Department on official business in each of the last three years; and how they were used.

Tom Watson: The Ministry of Defence has no central record of air miles accrued by senior civil servants and is therefore unable to provide details of how they were used. Guidance for officials requires that air miles accrued on official business are not used for private purposes.

Armed Forces (Foreign Citizens)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of members of each of the armed forces are not British citizens, broken down by nationality.

Tom Watson: The number and percentage of service personnel who are not British citizens in each of HM armed forces are shown by country in the following table:
	
		
			  UK Regular Forces( 1)  with Nationality other than British at 1 April 2006 
			  Country  Naval service  Percentage of total strength  Army  Percentage of total strength  Royal Air Force( 2)  Percentage of total strength 
			 Total non-British service personnel 465 1.2 6,670 6.2 210 0.4 
			 Antigua (3)— (3)— (4)— (4)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Australia 10 (3)— 75 0.1 10 (3)— 
			 Bangladesh (4)— (4)— 5 (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Barbados (4)— (4)— 10 (3)— (4)— (3)— 
			 Belize (3)— (3)— (4)— (4)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Botswana (3)— (3)— 5 (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Cameroon (3)— (3)— 20 (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Canada 15 (3)— 60 0.1 20 (3)— 
			 Cyprus (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— — (3)— 
			 Dominican Republic (4)— (4)— 10 (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Egypt (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Eire 50 0.1 215 0.2 60 0.1 
			 Falkland Islands (3)— (3)— (4)— (4)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Fiji 75 0.2 1,995 1.8 5 (3)— 
			 France (3)— (3)— (4)— (4)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Gambia (4)— (4)— 80 0.1 (4)— (3)— 
			 Germany(5) (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Ghana (4)— (4)— 660 0.6 (4)— (3)— 
			 Gibraltar — — (4)— (4)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Grenada (4)— (4)— 50 (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Guyana (3)— (3)— 15 (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 India 5 (3)— 45 (3)— (4)— (3)— 
			 Jamaica 25 0.1 975 0.9 25 0.1 
			 Kenya 5 (3)— 105 0.1 5 (3)— 
			 Malawi (4)— (4)— 95 0.1 (4)— (3)— 
			 Malaysia (4)— (4)— 5 (3)— (4)— (3)— 
			 Malta (4)— (4)— 5 (3)— (4)— (3)— 
			 Mauritius (4)— (4)— 25 (3)— (4)— (3)— 
			 Montserrat (3)— (3)— (4)— (4)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Namibia (3)— (3)— (4)— (4)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Nepal (3)— (3)— 30 (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 New Zealand 5 (3)— 65 0.1 5 (3)— 
			 Nigeria (4)— (4)— 65 0.1 (3)— (3)— 
			 Other West Indies (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Pakistan (4)— (4)— 10 (3)— (4)— (3)— 
			 Papua New Guinea (3)— (3)— (4)— (4)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Seychelles (3)— (3)— 10 (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Sierra Leone (3)— (3)— 45 (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Singapore (3)— (3)— (4)— (4)— (3)— (3)— 
			 South Africa 45 0.1 720 0.7 10 (3)— 
			 Sri Lanka (3)— (3)— 15 (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 St. Helena (4)— (4)— 20 (3)— 5 (3)— 
			 St. Kitts and Nevis (3)— (3)— (4)— (4)— (4)— (3)— 
			 St. Lucia 5 (3)— 225 0.2 (4)— (3)— 
			 St. Vincent 130 0.3 280 0.3 (4)— (3)— 
			 Swaziland (3)— (3)— 10 (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Switzerland (3)— (3)— (4)— (4)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Tanzania (3)— (3)— (4)— (4)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Tonga (3)— (3)— 5 (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Trinidad 20 — 70 0.1 10 (3)— 
			 Uganda — — 40 (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Ukraine (4)— (4)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 United Arab Emirates 10 (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 USA (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— (3)— 
			 Zambia (4)— (4)— 20 (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Zimbabwe(6) 15 — 565 0.5 5 (3)— 
			 Other West Indies (4)— (4)— (4)— (4)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Other Non-British(7) (3)— (3)— 20 (3)— 10 (3)— 
			 Not known/stateless 505 1.3 25 (3)— (8)75 0.2 
			 (1 )Data are for UK regular forces (trained and untrained), including nursing services and excluding full time reserve service personnel, Gurkhas, the home service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists.(2) Royal Air Force data are for personnel serving at 6 March 2006. They include personnel who at that date had attested but have not begun basic training.(3) Denotes zero or rounded to zero.(4) Denotes fewer than five or percentage based on a figure fewer than five. Data are rounded to five to prevent disclosure of sensitive information.(5) Includes personnel with nationality recorded as West German.(6) Includes personnel with nationality recorded as Rhodesian (7) Includes personnel with nationality recorded as British Commonwealth/Foreign, Foreign/Foreign, Other African Country and Other Asiatic country.(8) Includes 75 personnel recorded as Commonwealth by birth, but with no nationality recorded.

Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether officials at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston are involved in designing a new warhead for the use in Trident missiles; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: I have nothing to add to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Airdrie and Shotts (John Reid) to the hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) on 21 March 2006,  Official Report, column 364W.

Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the occasions when an amendment has been moved by  (a) a Labour back bencher,  (b) Opposition back bencher and  (c) Opposition Front Bench spokesman to a Bill sponsored by his Department which has been accepted by his Department during the 2005-06 Session; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: The Ministry of Defence has sponsored the Armed Forces Bill during this session. Information on amendments moved and accepted during the Select Committee and Committee of the Whole House stages of the Bill is published in the  Official Report.

Combat Stress

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding was allocated by his Department to the ex-services mental welfare society Combat Stress in each of the past five years.

Tom Watson: holding answer 13 March 2006
	The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Income received by Combat Stress to defray individual treatment expenses 
			   £ million 
			 2000-01 1.5 
			 2001-02 2.1 
			 2002-03 2.4 
			 2003-04 2.6 
			 2004-05 2.8 
			  Source: Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society ("Combat Stress"). 
		
	
	Article 21 of the Naval, Military and Air Forces Etc. (Disablement and Death) Service Pensions Order 2006 provides that the Secretary of State for Defence may defray necessary expenses in respect of the medical, surgical or rehabilitative treatment of a former member of the armed forces which arise from a disablement due to service, provided they are not provided for under other UK legislation. Under this discretionary power, MOD defrays the individual costs of war pensioners undergoing "remedial treatment" at the Combat Stress homes for conditions related to their individual pensioned disablement and of related expenses, such as travel costs. The table shows the funding received by Combat Stress under this provision.

Conscientious Objectors

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many soldiers have been discharged on the grounds of conscientious objection over the last five years;
	(2)  how many applications to leave the Army on the grounds of conscientious objection have been considered by his Department over the last five years.

Tom Watson: The Ministry of Defence has no record of any applications to leave the Regular Army on the grounds of conscientious objection in the last five years.
	However, the Army cannot identify from its records those applications that may start as requests to leave the Army on the grounds of conscientious objection but result in an individual leaving for different reasons.

Departmenal Plans

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the delivery of his Department's revised policy of providing industry with a better and longer term understanding of the Department's future plans.

Adam Ingram: We have started a series of briefings to various sectors of industry to set out more details of our forward plans—which have been welcomed by industry. We have also been reinforcing existing partnering agreements by providing industry with a clear view of our planning assumptions, recognising that these are subject to final investment decisions by Ministers and the Department.

Departmenal Procurement

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made in its discussion with industry on alternatives to competition as a means of delivering value for money; when he expects to complete his Department's action plan on this; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: We have begun discussions on alternative approaches to competition in a joint MOD/industry working group established under the auspices of the National Defence Industries Council. By the end of 2006 we intend to have in place top level policy, working level guidance and revised training packages which ensure the selection of appropriate commercial approach which continues to deliver demonstrable value for money for the Department.

Departmenal Procurement

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the creation of a joint plan between his Department and industry for embedding defence acquisition values throughout the acquisition community.

Adam Ingram: We are continuing to work with the National Defence Industries Council to ensure the defence acquisition values are the foundation upon which working relations within the MOD, and between the Department and industry are based. Within the Department's Acquisition Community, the values will be reflected in individuals' personal objectives and reward arrangements. Individual companies are already using the defence acquisition values to inform their in-house corporate values and behaviours.
	The Defence Academy will be working to bring in joint training courses with industry to embed the values, and we are also ensuring that partnering agreements with industry reflect the values explicitly.
	We shall be making a joint announcement with industry later this year to set out the totality of the work, and our achievements.

Departmental Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those  (a) Acts and  (b) parts of Acts which received Royal Assent between 1976 and 2006 for which his Department has policy responsibility and which remain in force.

Tom Watson: With respect to part  (a) of the question, the Ministry of Defence has policy responsibility for the following Acts which remain in force:
	The Armed Forces Acts 1976; 1981; 1986; 1991; 1996 and 2001
	The Armed Forces Discipline Act 2000
	The Armed Forces (Pension and Compensation) Act 2004
	The Army Act 1992
	The Atomic Weapons Establishment Act 1991
	The Crown Proceedings Act 1987
	The Greenwich Hospital Act 1990
	The Ministry of Defence Police Act 1987
	The Reserve Forces Acts 1980 and 1996
	The Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.
	No Acts have been identified in respect of part  (b) of the question.

Eid-Ul-Adha

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff from his Department attended the Civil Service Islamic Society Eid-Ul-Adha event in London in 2005; and what the total cost to his Department was of their attendance.

Tom Watson: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will write to the hon. Member with details of the Civil Service Islamic Society Eid-Ul-Adha event. Copies of her letter will be placed in the Library.

Eurofighter

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the timetable is for delivery of future tranches of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, with particular reference to those  (a) with and  (b) without full air-to-ground strike capability.

Adam Ingram: The United Kingdom has, to date, contracted for two tranches of Eurofighter-Typhoon, providing 144 aircraft for use by the Royal Air Force. A decision by the Eurofighter Typhoon Partner Nations on the third production buy of the aircraft, and thus on the delivery timetable for this future tranche, has still to be taken. Integration of air-to-ground capabilities is being considered for Eurofighter Typhoon as part of a programme of future enhancements.

Gurkhas

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of widows of Gurkha servicemen who would receive pension payments if Gurkha servicemen were eligible for the British soldier's preserved pension at the age of 60 after more than two years of service;
	(2)  how many Gurkha ex-servicemen there are who retired prior to 1 July 1997;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the cost of up-rating the pensions of Gurkha ex-servicemen who retired prior to 1 July 1997 to the amount received by their British soldier equivalents.

Tom Watson: On 11 January 2005, the then Secretary of State announced to the House that he had commissioned a comprehensive review of the Terms and Conditions of Service under which Gurkhas serve in the British Army.
	As part of this review, the Department is looking at the pension position of Gurkhas back to 1 July 1997. Prior to 1 July 1997 Gurkhas were members of an overseas-based force and had no comparable British soldier equivalents. Gurkha soldiers are members of the Gurkha pension scheme which does not provide for preserved pensions, there are therefore no Gurkha widows who would be eligible. The Department does not hold records of individuals (or of their widows) who do not have an entitlement to a pension, so cannot make reliable estimates of either the numbers involved or the cost of hypothetical pension entitlements.
	However there are currently 26,699 Gurkha service pensioners (of which 1,900 have retired since 1 July 1997) and the Gurkha Welfare Trust have reported that last year they paid 10,246 welfare pensions. Of the 26,699, there are about 5,000 Gurkha widows' or family dependants' pensions in payment.

Helicopter Searches

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  on how many occasions a helicopter from RAF Benson was used to assist a police search for a missing person in each of the last five years;
	(2)  if he will identify the helicopter from RAF Benson used to search for Dr. David Kelly on 18 July 2003; whether the helicopter in question was equipped with  (a) an infra-red camera and  (b) heat-seeking equipment; how long the helicopter was in the air; what areas it covered in its search; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many  (a) military,  (b) civilian and  (c) other personnel from (i) the United Kingdom, (ii) the United States and (iii) other nations were based at RAF Benson on 17 July 2003.

Adam Ingram: No RAF helicopters from RAF Benson have been used to assist police searches for missing persons in the last five years.
	No RAF helicopters from RAF Benson were used in the search for Dr. David Kelly on 18 July 2003. However, I understand that a Chiltern Air Support Unit police helicopter which is based at RAF Benson was on standby but not used. I am informed that a police helicopter from the Chiltern Air Support Unit based at Luton was used in the search.
	Details of the personnel based at RAF Benson on the 17 July 2003 were as follows:
	
		
			   Number of personnel 
			 RAF personnel 1,379 
			 Army personnel 18 
			 Navy personnel 2 
			 MOD civilian personnel 166 
			 Non-MOD (contractors) 150 
			 Foreign 2 (exchange aircrew from Canada and the United States)

Hercules Aircraft

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of fitting reticulated foam devices to Mk1 Hercules aircraft.

Adam Ingram: I am withholding information regarding which of our Hercules aircraft will be fitted as the release of this information may prejudice the security of our armed forces.
	There is an initial programme, however, to fit Explosion Suppressant Foam to a number of them that will cost some £600,000 per aircraft.

Iran

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the military capability of the Iranian armed forces.

Des Browne: As a matter of routine we assess the military capability of other nations' armed forces, including that of Iran. I am withholding this information on the grounds that to release it would prejudice the capability, effectiveness, and security of the armed forces.

Iraq

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the quality of the Iraqi  (a) armed forces and  (b) police force based in Multi-National Division South East.

Des Browne: Regular assessments of the capability of Iraq's security forces are made as part of the process of considering the preparedness of each province for transition to Iraqi security control, including the four provinces of Multi-National Division South East.

Iraq

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department plans to take to make helicopters in Iraq safer for flight personnel.

Adam Ingram: We are continually reviewing ways of providing greater protection for all our personnel deployed on operations. For helicopters, we have identified a number of improvements to meet the specific operational conditions in Iraq; these have been, or are being, implemented through urgent operational requirement procedures. They include improvements to countermeasures, self protection, and crew and aircraft armour.

Iraq

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 181-84W, on Iraq, if he will place a copy of the eligibility criteria for the Operation TELIC medal in the Library.

Tom Watson: Command Paper 6135 was presented to Parliament in February 2004 by my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Defence and laid down the qualifying criteria for the Iraq medal for service on Operation TELIC from 20 January 2003. In accordance with standard procedures, a copy was placed in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of why the two Britons rescued from Basra Prison by British forces were  (a) dressed as Arabs and  (b) in possession of explosives at the time of their detention; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: An internal review was carried out in the wake of the events of 19 September 2005. I am withholding further details as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of our armed forces.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role UK forces have played in the (a) training and  (b) operations of the Facilities Protection Service in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 25 May 2006
	Coalition forces have trained some 6,650 members of the Facilities Protection Service (FPS) based in Multi National Division (South East). The basic training course provides FPS guards with the skills that allow them to act as static security. The advanced course content varies, being structured at the discretion of FPS commanders, but frequently includes such areas as combat life support, Quick Reaction Forces, and logistics. At present, the FPS are operating at over 800 sites in Multi National Division (South East) on behalf of 22 Ministries.

Iraq

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers prescribed medication for psychological problems have been posted back to active service in Iraq.

Tom Watson: holding answer 25 May 2006
	We are aware of a very small number of cases where service personnel deployed to Iraq have been prescribed medication for a psychological illness; however, precise figures are not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Joint Personnel Administration

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much has been spent on the Joint Personnel Administration computer system;
	(2)  when he expects to introduce the Joint Personnel Administration computer system fully for  (a) the Royal Air Force,  (b) the Royal Navy and  (c) the Army;
	(3)  what assessment has been made of the suitability of the Joint Personnel Administration system for defence services;
	(4)  what reports Ministers have received about the operation of the Joint Personnel Administration system;
	(5)  how many complaints have been received about the operation of the Joint Personnel Administration computer system; and what changes have been made to the timetable for its introduction since the system was originally planned.

Tom Watson: On 20 March 2006, the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency (AFPAA) rolled out Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) to all 48,000 RAF service personnel throughout the world on time and on budget. The event marked the culmination of five years system design, development, integration and testing and bears testimony to a very strong partnering agreement between MOD and EDS. The total cost to date of JPA is £116 million.
	The suitability of JPA was considered in July 2004 by the Defence Investment Approvals Board in approving the Main Gate Business Case. Prior to rollout, the readiness for service was assessed by an independent Office of Government Commerce Gateway review.
	On JPA rollout to the RAF there were a small number of technical issues which had not manifested in the extensive testing carried out prior to its launch. This resulted in the system operating much more slowly than anticipated which greatly restricted the number of self-service users at any one time. Over the course of the last six weeks these early problems have been overcome and all users now have full access to the system. JPA has performed satisfactorily on rollout to RAF professional HR administrators and has delivered pay to the RAF with only a relatively few discrepancies caused by the migration of data from the legacy systems to JPA. Although the first few weeks following rollout has generated a significant number of enquiries, no formal complaints have been received.
	Following RAF rollout, the related provisional JPA dates for the RN and Army were June and November 2006 respectively. However, in order to more closely align JPA with Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) programme requirements, current plans are that JPA will be rolled out to the RN from October 2006 and to the Army from March 2007 respectively.

Low Flying Aircraft

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the locations are of each tactical training area in the UK in which low flying aircraft are permitted to fly to a minimum height of 100 feet.

Tom Watson: There are three Tactical Training Areas (TTA) in the UK Military Low Flying System, within which fixed wing aircraft and military Helicopters are permitted to operate down to 100 feet, and sometimes below, throughout the Low Flying System.
	The three areas are located in mid-Wales; in the Highlands of Scotland to the north-west of the Great Glen; and, in south-west Scotland and the Anglo Scottish border area, from Dumfries and Galloway across to the Cheviot hills. Maps showing the location of the Tactical Training Areas are included in The Pattern of Military Low Flying, which is published annually, and placed in the Library of the House.

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  on how many occasions  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department have stayed overnight in (i) five star, (ii) four star and (iii) three star hotels in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department staying overnight in (i) mainland Great Britain, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) the Republic of Ireland and (iv) other countries in each of the last three years;
	(3)  what discounts are available in relation to hotel accommodation used by  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department.

Tom Watson: The Ministry of Defence has an Enabling Arrangement with Expotel Hotel Reservations Ltd. for booking hotel accommodation which staff can access through the Central Hotel Booking Service (CHBS). The MOD does not directly receive discounts for hotel accommodation but CHBS is required to secure the lowest possible rates available for accommodation, generally of 3-star quality, throughout Great Britain and overseas. Northern Ireland is not included in this agreement.
	This enabling arrangement is not mandated and individuals can choose to make their own bookings, providing they do so within a financial limit of £53 per night. There is no central record of bookings arranged outside CHBS and to attempt to collect such information could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.
	CHBS does not record information on the star rating of the hotel, the choice of hotel being determined by value for money. Nor does CHBS hold information differentiating between civil servants and special advisers.

Nuclear Submarines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions a local authority safety plan for visiting nuclear submarines has been declared fit for purpose within 24 hours of a submarine docking at a UK port in each of the last five years.

Adam Ingram: Local authority off-site emergency plans in respect of nuclear submarine berths are maintained in accordance with the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001 (REPPIR). These regulations are enforced by the Health and Safety Executive, Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (HSE NII). Any questions relating to the fitness for purpose of the off-site plan should be referred to the HSE NII.

Nuclear Weapons Testing

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent research he has assessed on the possible association between witnessing atomic and nuclear weapons testing and ill health.

Tom Watson: Ministry of Defence officials are currently studying the report of New Zealand research which used gene analysis techniques to identify minute changes in DNA which may correlate with radiation exposure. The report of this study was recently presented to the New Zealand War Pensions Research Trust Board but has not been peer-reviewed or published in the scientific press.

Racial Abuse

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints of racial abuse have been  (a) investigated and  (b) upheld in his Department in each of the last five years.

Tom Watson: Records are not kept centrally in the form requested and it is not possible to identify separately those complaints citing racial harassment from those citing racial discrimination. Changes to record-keeping will lead to improvements for the future. The available information is as follows:
	 Royal Navy
	The number of formal redresses of complaint which cited racial discrimination and/or harassment in each of the last five years were:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2001-02 1 
			 2002-03 2 
			 2003-04 0 
			 2004-05 3 
			 2005-06(1) 5 
			 (1) Figures for 1 April to 31 December 2005 
		
	
	It has not been possible from the data available to identify those redresses of complaint which were upheld and those complaints which were resolved locally through the chain of command.
	 Army
	The number of formal redresses of complaint which cited racial discrimination and/or harassment investigated and upheld in each year were:
	
		
			   Investigated  Upheld 
			 2001-02 9 1 
			 2002-03 4 1 
			 2003-04 6 1 
			 2004-05 10 0 
			 2005-06 9 0 
		
	
	Records of racial harassment complaints resolved locally through the chain of command are not held centrally.
	 RAF
	The number of formal redresses of complaint which cited racial discrimination and/or harassment investigated and upheld in each year were:
	
		
			   Investigated  Upheld 
			 2001-02 4 1 
			 2002-03 2 0 
			 2003-04 2 0 
			 2004-05 1 0 
			 2005-06 4 1 
		
	
	The number of informal complaints which cited racial discrimination and/or harassment and were resolved through chain of command or line management action were:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2001-02 n/a(1) 
			 2002-03 3 
			 2003-04 0 
			 2004-05 2 
			 2005-06(1) 1 
			 (1) Records of informal complaints of racial harassment began in 2002-03. 
		
	
	 Ministry of Defence Civil Service
	There is no requirement to centrally report bullying and harassment cases (including racial abuse) that are resolved at local unit level. To obtain this information would incur disproportionate costs. The figures provided as follows are for the last five calendar years, and record civilian harassment cases, involving racial abuse, where MOD units have requested a formal harassment investigation be carried out by a trained departmental civilian harassment investigation officer. Records are not held centrally on whether these investigated complaints were then subsequently upheld.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2001 1 
			 2002 0 
			 2003 1 
			 2004 1 
			 2005 1

RAF Heavy Lift

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the heavy lift capability of the Royal Air Force.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr. Goodwill) on 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1188.

Regimental Bands

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many regimental bands there are in the Army; where they are located; and what the strength is of each regiment which has retained a regimental band.

Tom Watson: As at 1 May there were 29 bands in the Regular Army and 14 in the Territorial Army (TA). Under the Future Army Structure (FAS), the number of Regular Army bands will reduce to 23 and the TA bands will increase to 19.
	It has only been possible to show a breakdown of strengths by regiment for regular infantry units. All other figures are for the appropriate arm/service. Details are shown in the following tables for Regular and Territorial Army units respectively.
	
		
			  Regular Army 
			  Arm/service—strength  Location  Current band  Representing  Regimental/corps strength 
			  Household Cavalry/RAC: 
			 5,530 Bovington Hussars and Light Dragoon Band Kings Royal Hussars Queens Royal Hussars n/a 
			  Munster, Germany Royal Lancers Band 9/12 L Queens Royal Lancers n/a 
			  Falingbostel, Germany Dragoon Guards Band 1(st) Queens Dragoon Guards Royal Scots Dragoon Guards n/a 
			  Falingbostel, Germany Royal Tank Regiment Band Royal Tank Regiment n/a 
			  Windsor Life Guards Band Life Guards n/a 
			  Knightsbridge Royal Horse Guards Dragoon Band Royal Horse Guards n/a 
			  
			  Infantry: 
			 24,080 Edinburgh Lowland Band Royal Regt of Scotland 3,440 
			  Edinburgh Highlanders Band   
			  Catterick Queens Lancashire Regt Normandy Band Queens Lancashire Regiment 670 
			  London Scots Guards Band Scots Guards 680 
			  London Irish Guards Band Irish Guards 600 
			  London Welsh Guards Band Welsh Guards 580 
			  London Grenadier Guards Band Grenadier Guards 730 
			  London Coldstream Guards Band Coldstream Guards 780 
			  Bassingbourn Queens Minden Band Princess of Wales Royal Regiment 1,290 
			Royal Regiment of Fusilliers 1,240 
			Royal Anglian Regiment 1,320 
			  Weeton Kings Normandy Band Kings Own Royal Border Regiment 590 
			  Catterick Kings Waterloo Band KINGS 580 
			Prince of Wales Own Regiment of Yorkshire 620 
			Queens Lancashire Regiment 670 
			Duke of Wellington's Regiment 630 
			Green Howards 580 
			   Prince of Wales Clive Band Devon and Dorset Light Infantry 590 
			   Prince of Wales Lucknow Band Royal Welsh Regt 1,200 
			Cheshire Regt 540 
			Royal Gloucester Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment 610 
			Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment 600 
			Staffordshire Regiment 580 
			  Colchester Parachute Regiment Band Parachute Regiment 1,980 
			  Winchester Light Division Band Light Infantry 1,290 
			Royal Green Jackets 1,230 
			  Ballymena Royal Irish Band Royal Irish 630 
			  
			  Royal Artillery: 
			 7,350 Woolwich Royal Artillery Band Royal Artillery 7,350 
			  
			  Corps of Army Music: 
			 930(1) Chatham Royal Engineers Royal Engineers 8,820 
			  Blandford Royal Signals Royal Signals 8,560 
			  Arborfield Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 9,770 
			  Middle Wallop Army Air Corps Army Air Corps 1,990 
			  Deepcut Royal Logistics Corps Royal Logistics Corps 15,650 
			  Worthy Down Adjutant General's Corps Adjutant General's Corps 6,800 
			 (1) The personnel of the regimental bands are included in the Corps of Army Music strengths. 
		
	
	
		
			  Territorial Army 
			  Arm/service—strength  Location  Current band  Regimental/corps strength 
			  Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps:
			 1,240 London Inns of Court and City Yeomanry Band Royal Yeomanry n/a 
			 
			  Royal Regiment of Artillery:
			 2,240 Bolton Lancashire Artillery Band n/a 
			   Honourable Artillery Company n/a 
			 
			  The Infantry:
			 7,480 Edinburgh 52 Lowland Band n/a 
			  Perth Highland Band n/a 
			  Canterbury Kohima Band of the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment n/a 
			  Newcastle-upon-Tyne Northumbria Band n/a 
			  Peterborough Royal Anglian Band n/a 
			  Liverpool North West Infantry Band n/a 
			  Exeter Devonshire and Dorset Band n/a 
			  Newport Royal Welsh Regiment (V) Band n/a 
			  Wolverhampton West Midlands Regiment Volunteer Band n/a 
			  Headington The Waterloo Band Royal Green Jackets Volunteers n/a 
			  Kinnegar North Irish TA Band n/a 
			 
			  The Royal Logistics Corps:
			 5,920 Hull 150 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps Band n/a 
		
	
	As explained in the written statement made to the House on 9 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 69-70WS the North Irish band will be re-titled The Royal Irish Regiment Band (TA) and its performance capacity will be enhanced to ensure continued provision of military music in Northern Ireland, in combination with programmed visits by Regular Army bands based in Great Britain.

Small Change Big Difference Campaign

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department and its agencies have taken following the launch of the Government's Small Change Big Difference Campaign.

Tom Watson: A key element of the Ministry of Defence's 'People Programme' concerns the health, welfare and sickness absence of our civilian staff. From 1 June 2006, guidance will be included on the Defence Intranet to encourage staff to consider healthy choices in relation to lifestyle and diet. Guidance will be available on giving up smoking, diet and maintaining a healthy weight, alcohol consumption and exercise. Links will be provided to specialist websites and Government initiatives including 'Small Change, Big Difference'.
	As part of the launch of these services, the Department is to hold a 'Health Awareness Week' in early July. A series of events will be held around MOD sites to promote a healthy lifestyle. MOD already has a thriving Sports and Social Association and a number of workplace sports clubs and gyms which staff can join at their own cost and in their own time. MOD restaurants also provide healthy choices.
	Health is vital to operational effectiveness and the armed forces have always had policies for health promotion. A Health Promotion Action Plan was published last year prior to the production of the Choosing Health White Paper covering issues such as diet, tobacco and alcohol consumption and sexual health. There is an expert panel on armed forces feeding which advises on diet and has published "Recruits' and Commanders' Guides to Nutrition". These offer advice on diets and eating patterns which are compatible with military requirements and health.

Somme Anniversary

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Watson: It is assumed that the hon. Member is referring to the 90th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme which occurs on 1 July 2006. An Anglo-French commemoration will take place at Thiepval on that day, the details of which have not been finalised. The main feature of the commemoration will be a Service of Remembrance organised by the Royal British Legion. It is expected that regimental associations and cadets will be present. A British military band is being provided.

Vehicle Sharing

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what incentives his Department offers to encourage staff to share vehicles when travelling to work.

Tom Watson: Encouraging staff to share vehicles when travelling to work is dependent on the circumstances of each site. For example, at Abbey Wood in Bristol, there is a scheme offering 300 car-sharing priority parking spaces. There are also informal schemes established on an individual basis. The Royal Navy also encourage the practice through their intranet sites with schemes in place at Royal Navy Fleet HQ, and at Portsmouth and Devonport Naval Bases.
	Vehicle-sharing is one of a number of measures that the Ministry of Defence encourages as part its work on sustainable development and travel. These include the use of both telephone- and video-conference facilities for business meetings, and offering staff a pay advance to purchase bicycles and public transport season tickets for commuting to their place of work.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Industrial Injuries

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many  (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and  (b) vibration white finger claims have been submitted from Tamworth constituency, broken down by district electoral ward.

Malcolm Wicks: Although I cannot provide statistics by electoral ward, I have broken down the claims submitted from Tamworth constituents by postcode(1). The figures are as follows:
	(1) The postcodes listed include areas beyond the Tamworth constituency boundary.
	
		
			  Postcode  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease  Vibration white finger 
			 B77 1,022 289 
			 B78 1,155 396 
			 B79 571 141 
			 WS14 33 5 
			 Total 2,781 831 
		
	
	The figures for Tamworth constituency are 1,700 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims and 437 vibration white finger claims submitted.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Adults with Learning Difficulties

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken to ensure that adults with learning difficulties report crimes to the police; and how this action has been communicated to people with learning difficulties.

Tony McNulty: In November 2005, the Home Office hosted a workshop attended by representatives of organisations who work with people who have learning disabilities. Since then, an Action Plan has been developed specifically to tackle low reporting rates amongst people in this vulnerable group. Among other things, the Action Plan identifies the need to raise awareness of sexual abuse with vulnerable adults and we are working to take these actions forward.
	The Home Office has also worked with Respond, Mencap, the Down's Syndrome Association and the National Forum for People with Learning Difficulties to produce an easy-access booklet called "Protecting You from Sexual Abuse", and this can be found on the Home Office website. The booklet has been written for people with learning disabilities to provide information and guidance on the law in relation to sexual offences.

Amendments to Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the occasions when an amendment has been moved by  (a) a Labour backbencher,  (b) an Opposition backbencher and  (c) an Opposition front bench spokesman to a Bill sponsored by his Department that has been accepted by his Department during the current session; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The Home Department has sponsored the following Bills/Acts during the current session:
	Racial and Religious Hatred Act
	Identity Cards Act
	Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act
	Terrorism Act
	Charities Bill
	Fraud Bill
	Police and Justice Bill
	Violent Crime Reduction Bill.
	Information on amendments moved and accepted during the Committee and Report Stage on these Acts/Bills is published in the  Official Report.

Animal Experimentation

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what ways his Department plans to contribute to the review of European Directive 86/609, on animal experimentation; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: The European Commission is currently reviewing Directive 86/609 to take account of technical progress since it was first adopted almost 20 years ago. The directive is transposed into United Kingdom legislation by the Animals (Scientific Procedures)Act 1986.
	Four technical expert working groups have already provided preliminary advice to the Commission on scope and definitions; severity/cost/benefit; ethical review; and authorisation of procedures. These groups had a strong United Kingdom representation, one of which was chaired by a Home Office official.
	Four, more detailed, technical issues were subsequently referred to the Animal Welfare Committee of the European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) for consideration and advice. The Commission is now considering the EFSA advice, and has commissioned a regulatory impact assessment to which the Home Office has recently responded.
	The Commission has indicated that it will next produce a consultation document in the summer of 2006. This is expected to take the form of a draft revised directive. The Home Office will respond once it has had the opportunity to consider its content and consult scientific community stakeholders.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is given to  (a) local authorities and  (b) the police about how and in what circumstances antisocial behaviour orders are issued to children under 18 years.

Tony McNulty: There is a range of sources of guidance for local authorities and the police on issuing antisocial behaviour orders to children and young people. The Home Office's comprehensive "Guidance on ASBOs" issued jointly with the Youth Justice Board and the Association of Chief Police Officers is currently being updated and will be issued shortly. In addition joint guidance issued by the Home Office, Youth Justice Board and the Association of Chief Police Officers, issued in March 2005, provides youth offending teams with advice on their role in preventing and reducing antisocial behaviour. Practitioners can also access information provided by the Together campaign in the form of a website, an extensive range of leaflets and a telephone action line offering advice on all aspects of anti-social behaviour.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in each local authority area in the County of Durham since 2001, broken down by age.

Tony McNulty: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of ASBOs, as reported to the Home Office, by all courts and where restrictions are imposed within local authority areas in Durham, by age at date of decision, 1 January 2001 to 30 September 2005 
			   Age groups 
			  Area  10 to 17  18+  Total 
			 Durham 38 41 79 
			 Chester-le-Street DC 1 5 6 
			 Darlington BC 4 5 9 
			 Derwentside DC 6 11 17 
			 Durham CC 9 9 18 
			 Easington DC 8 4 12 
			 Sedgefield BC 5 4 9 
			 Teesdale DC 1 0 1 
			 Wear Valley DC 4 3 7

Asylum Seekers

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applicants whose applications have been refused and whose appeal rights have been exhausted have had their claims reconsidered on the basis of further representations in each year since 1997; what criteria are used in deciding whether to allow claims to be reconsidered; what estimate has been made of the number of such applicants eligible to have their claims reconsidered; what the average time taken to conduct such reconsideration has been in each year; when such reconsiderations commenced; what the effect is on the status of applicants of having their claims reconsidered; and how many such reconsiderations in each year have resulted in the grant of asylum status or other permission which results in the applicant being able legally to remain in the UK.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.

Asylum Seekers

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) Nigerian,  (b) Bangladeshi,  (c) Pakistani,  (d) Turkish and  (e) Somali asylum seekers are living in the UK.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not available in the format requested.
	The following table shows the number of asylum seekers from Bangladesh, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Turkey supported by NASS in the UK as at the end of March 2006.
	
		
			  Asylum seekers( 1,2,3 ) (including dependants) from Bangladesh, Nigeria. Pakistan, Somalia and Turkey supported by NASS in the UK as at the end of March 2006 
			   In NASS accommodation  Receipt of subsistence only support  Total 
			 Bangladesh 145 95 235 
			 Nigeria 695 150 840 
			 Pakistan 3,670 1,700 5,400 
			 Somalia 2,415 1,245 3,660 
			 Turkey 1,835 1,220 3,050 
			 (1) Provisional figures rounded to the nearest 5 with * = 1 or 2. Figures may not sum due to rounding. (2) Excludes unaccompanied asylum seeking children supported by local authorities and cases that pre-date the establishment of NASS in April 2000, administered by local authorities under the Interim Provisions.  (3) Excludes those in initial accommodation.

Black/Asian Employees

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) black and Asian and  (b) other people are employed in his Department's press office.

Liam Byrne: The numbers employed in the press office are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Black 2 
			 Asian 0 
			 Other 44

Community Support Officers

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the retention rate of community support officers in  (a) Gwent,  (b) South Wales,  (c) Dyfed Powys and  (d) North Wales police force areas in each year since they were first employed.

Tony McNulty: Information on the retention rate of community support officers is not collected centrally, however the available information regarding the number of community support officers leaving the Welsh police force areas is given in the table.
	
		
			  The number of PCSOs leaving (FTE)( 1)  by each police force area in Wales, in 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05( 2) 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Dyfed Powys 0 0 0 
			 Gwent (3)— 10 5 
			 North Wales (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 South Wales 0 4 11 
			 (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2 )These figures have been calculated from the quarterly leaving figures submitted by police forces.  (3 )Data is not available for this period.

Correspondence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the immigration and nationality directorate will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Warley of 17 January on behalf of Mrs. McLeish, Meadow Road, Oldbury.

Liam Byrne: I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer given on 2 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1407W.

Crime Statistics

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the level of crime in  (a) Cornwall and  (b) England and Wales in 2005-06.

Tony McNulty: The latest crime statistics for England and Wales were published in Home Office Statistical Bulletin 06/06 entitled 'Crime in England and Wales: Quarterly Update to December 2005'. The publication gives recorded crime statistics for the first three quarters of financial year 2005-06 and is available at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/hosb0606.pdf
	Detailed statistics at police force area level for 2005-06 will be published on 20 July.

Deportation

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deportees have returned to the UK because their destination country refused them entry in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: Such information on returned cases could only be obtained through examination of individual Home Office case files and this would be at disproportionate cost.
	Published statistics on immigration and asylum issues are available on the Home Office research Development and statistics website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Domestic Violence

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response he has made to the Sentencing Guidelines Council recommendations on domestic violence.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The guidelines prepared by the Sentencing Guidelines Council are currently out for consultation and it would be inappropriate to make any comment at this stage.

EU Criminal Proceedings

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of whether the current proposals for a framework decision on certain procedural rights in criminal proceedings throughout the European Union would grant new rights to persons arrested in the United Kingdom; and what his policy is on the proposal.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Member states have not been able to reach agreement on the original text proposed for this framework decision, and a revised text is now being considered. If a revised text were to be formally tabled for discussion it would be subject to negotiation in the usual way. Intimations received as to the contents of a revised text suggest that it will be shorter and less ambitious.
	We will lodge an explanatory memorandum on any new text that is referred to the relevant council working group.

IND (Marriage Visas)

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long he expects it will take to clear the backlog at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate for those awaiting marriage visas.

Liam Byrne: Certificate of Approval applications are being considered in line with our published service standards (70 per cent. of cases within 20 working days and 90 per cent. within 70 working days). At present these standards are being exceeded.

Intermediate Custodial Sentences

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many defendants received immediate custodial sentences from  (a) Wrexham magistrates court and  (b) Crown courts to which defendants were committed from Wrexham magistrates court in the last five years for which records are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Defendants sentenced and those receiving immediate custody at Wrexham magistrates court and at the Crown court having been committed from Wrexham magistrates court 
			   Wrexham magistrates court  The Crown court (having been committed from Wrexham MC) 
			   Total defendants sentenced  Number given immediate custody  Total defendants sentenced  Number given immediate custody 
			 2000 4,061 190 200 146 
			 2001 3,778 161 138 107 
			 2002 4,780 202 141 98 
			 2003 4,826 171 208 166 
			 2004 5,818 199 159 119 
			  Source:  RDS-NOMS 16 May 2006

Mandatory Sentences

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mandatory life sentences for offenders convicted of violent offences for the second time have been handed down in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is published in Table 2.7 of 'Sentencing Statistics, England and Wales, 2004 (page 28). This publication can be found in the Library and also on the Home Office website, as follows:http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb1505.pdf .

Migrant Workers

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who are likely to come to work in the UK when Bulgaria and Romania accede to the European Union.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 8 May 2006
	The Home Office is reviewing relevant data and research in the area. The final decision on what kind of labour access should be granted to Bulgaria and Romania will be taken once the date of their accession to the European Union is known.

National Asylum Support Service

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to publish details of the recent review by the Director General of the Immigration and Nationality Department of the operation of the National Asylum Support Service; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member for Peterborough to the answer given on 8 February 2006,  Official Report, column 1276W.

Non-Emergency Crime Line

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost will be to callers of using the new 101 non-emergency crime line.

Tony McNulty: The cost of calls to the new 101 single non-emergency number has been set at 10p per call following consultation with a wide group of stakeholders and research with the public. The research showed that a small fixed charge would not put people off calling the service but would reduce the likelihood of the service being abused. The Government, police and local authorities will not profit in any way from the 10p fixed charge for calls to the single non-emergency number. The charge will be retained by telecom providers to offset the substantial cost of carrying calls.
	This fixed rate charge compares favourably with existing police and local authority non-emergency numbers many of which are charged at 0845 call rates which can cost as much as 10p per minute or more. Calls to 101 will be 10p per call regardless of length which means that callers are protected against additional cost if their call is longer and more complex.
	The tariff will be reviewed once the service is in operation and has been evaluated with the aim of making it free to call the number in the future.

Open Prisons (Absconded Prisoners)

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the level of absconds by prisoners from open prisons in England.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There were 702 absconds from open prisons in the financial year 2005-06. This represents the lowest figure for absconds in the last 10 years. However, the Prison Service recognises that this abscond rate needs to be reduced further and continues to drive forward work to meet this aim.

Parole Boards

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have appealed against parole board decisions in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many were granted legal aid to do so.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There is no right of appeal as such against a decision of the parole board. The only legal remedy available to a prisoners wishing to challenge such a decision is to apply to the courts for judicial review. The following table, taken from the parole board's annual report for 2004-05, gives a breakdown of the number of judicial reviews for each of the previous five years. The number of cases granted legal aid is not held centrally and to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Judicial reviews of parole board decisions 
			   Number 
			 2000-01 71 
			 2001-02 52 
			 2002-03 59 
			 2003-04 56 
			 2004-05 56

Passports

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to offer to pensioners a special rate for the purchase of  (a) a new biometric passport and  (b) an identity card; and what plans he has for arrangements for those already entitled to free passports.

Joan Ryan: There are no plans to discount biometric passports for pensioners. Those born prior to 2 September 1929 who are already entitled to free passports will continue to be eligible for free biometric passports.
	The final schedule of fees for identity and passport service products after the introduction of identity cards is not yet settled and is partly dependent on the outcome of forthcoming procurement processes. However, due consideration will be given to current passport fee policies before the schedule is finalised and the Identity Cards Act provides that the first schedule of fees must be approved by Parliament through secondary legislation under the affirmative order procedure.

Persistent Offenders

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persistent and prolific offenders have been identified by the Northamptonshire police force.

Tony McNulty: The four prolific and other priority offenders schemes operating in the Northamptonshire police area covering Corby, Kettering, Daventry and Wellingborough are working intensively with 208 such offenders . Across the East Midlands region, a total of 1,296 prolific and other priority offenders are being targeted as part of the Government's national programme to tackle the small number of highly active offenders who cause a disproportionate amount of harm to the communities in which they live.

Police

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the sickness absence rate was in the Cambridgeshire constabulary in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The available information is provided in the table.
	
		
			  Police Officer Sickness Absence( 1)  in Cambridgeshire (2000-2005) 
			  As at 31 March  Average number of working days lost per officer  Average number of working hours lost per officer 
			 1997 11.1 — 
			 1998 10.8 — 
			 1999 11.9 — 
			 2000 11.8 — 
			 2001 13.3 — 
			 2002 12.0 — 
			 2003 11.4 — 
			 2004 10.3 92.4 
			 2005 — 98.3 
			 (1) Prior to 2004, sickness data was recorded in days rather than hours. Figures from 1997-2003 were published in the Annual Report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary. Figures after this time are taken from the Police Performance Monitoring Reports published by the Home Office

Police

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the total costs of the National Policing Improvement Agency in each year between 2005-06 and 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The NPIA will be established on1 April 2007. The budget for financial year 2007-08 and thereafter has not been finalised.

Police

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) purpose and  (b) objective is of the National Policing Improvement Agency; what its manpower requirement will be; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The purpose and objective of the National Policing Improvement Agency's (NPIA) is to deliver a step change in the provision of services to support operational policing and drive further improvements in the service, particularly in front line delivery to the public. The NPIA will be police-owned and led. The exact staffing levels of the Agency, have yet to be determined.

Police

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police stations there were in  (a) Devon and  (b) Cornwall in (i) 2006,(ii) 2002 and (iii) 1995.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Police

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were on attachment to overseas police forces in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The maximum number of UK police officers who may be deployed to international peace support operations at any one time is 475. On average, around 170 officers from forces in England and Wales are deployed in this capacity each year.
	In the years 2001 to 2005, the Home Office issued the following numbers of authorisations under section 26 of the Police Act 1996 to police officers from forces in England and Wales in respect of travel overseas to provide assistance to an international organisation or other body engaged outside the UK in policing activities:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2001 262 
			 2002 250 
			 2003 354 
			 2004 840 
			 2005 1,730 
		
	
	The majority of these authorisations were in respect of short-term assistance, including in the areas of counter-terrorism, serious and organised crime and disaster relief, such as the extensive help provided in 2004-05 in the aftermath of the tsunami.

Police

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons are employed  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time in working for Police Direct; what his policy is on the expansion of Police Direct; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 16 May 2006
	The information requested is not collected centrally.

Police

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of how one super force for the entire Eastern region would affect  (a) the number of full-time police officers deployed in the area served by the Norfolk constabulary,  (b) the level of service offered to the public and  (c) the rates of crime.

Tony McNulty: An assessment of the single Eastern regional option was not undertaken. Both the Home Office and forces and authorities in this region agreed that there were other more viable options that resources needed to be focused upon.

Police

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the precepting arrangements will be for the new proposed Yorkshire police force; and whether the current arrangements requiring majority support among elected members of the police authority before a precept increase can be agreed will remain in place.

John Reid: I think the strategic direction that has already been set out is the right one. I have not yet had time to consider these matters in the considerable detail that would be wished, but will be turning my mind to how we can achieve this direction in the not too distant future.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of the preparation and production of the performance testing bid at HMP Wandsworth.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The additional cost of the performance test at Wandsworth prison was £200,000. This does not include the cost of any support for the process found from within existing resources.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to reduce the incidence of prisons breaching Rule 39 correspondence conditions; what estimate he has made of the number of breaches at each establishment in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There are clear procedures in place for the handling of correspondence to which prison rule 39 applies. No estimate has been made of the number of breaches of these procedures but we have no information to suggest this is a significant problem.

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those Private Members' Bills in respect of which his Department adopted a policy of neutrality in each session since 2001-02; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Probation Service

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) active and  (b) inactive operational vacancies there were for each probation area in England and Wales at the end of each of the past five financial years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information is not available for the full period requested. Data on active vacancies has only been collected since 1 April 2004.
	The figures presented show active vacancies, in terms of full-time equivalent value, at the close of each quarter from 1 April 2004 to 30 September 2005. An active vacancy is one which a probation area is actively trying to fill through a recruitment process. The table also shows active vacancies as a percentage, shown in brackets, of total available posts. This shows the proportion of vacancies being carried by each area relative to the size of the work force in that area.
	The National Probation Service is unable to provide figures on the number of inactive vacancies. This is because not all probation areas operate a set establishment against which inactive vacancies can be measured.
	
		
			   2004-05 
			   Quarter 1  Quarter 2  Quarter 3 
			   Figure  Percentage  Figure  Percentage  Figure  Percentage 
			 Avon and Somerset 56.40 10.50 34.10 6.74 73.00 12.88 
			 Bedfordshire 8.67 4.40 10.31 5.53 11.00 5.70 
			 Cambridgeshire 13.49 5.78 15.29 6.59 19.47 8.03 
			 Cheshire 29.50 8.02 20.80 5.60 0.00 0.00 
			 Cumbria 9.00 5.32 12.86 7.21 14.35 7.71 
			 Derbyshire 0.00 0.00 10.80 2.95 12.80 3.57 
			 Devon and Cornwall 19.90 4.32 26.30 5.80 18.80 4.03 
			 Dorset 16.70 7.65 23.57 10.51 15.30 6.73 
			 Durham 8.00 2.95 4.00 1.45 1.00 0.34 
			 Dyfed Powys 6.80 4.71 11.70 7.50 4.20 2.76 
			 Essex 19.60 4.51 4.00 0.97 2.00 0.46 
			 Gloucestershire 1.52 0.90 2.66 1.52 3.88 2.14 
			 Gwent 9.00 3.77 4.00 1.67 7.50 3.09 
			 Hampshire 8.73 1.70 18.25 3.55 12.50 2.35 
			 Hertfordshire 16.90 7.36 16.10 6.78 16.10 6.81 
			 Humberside 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Kent 26.53 5.54 33.50 6.97 30.95 6.34 
			 Lancashire 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Leicestershire 19.80 4.29 13.70 2.99 16.70 3.64 
			 Lincolnshire 24.10 9.58 7.10 3.12 10.80 4.52 
			 Merseyside 1.00 0.13 1.00 0.13 1.00 0.13 
			 Norfolk 0.00 0.00 26.60 10.16 16.38 6.43 
			 North Yorkshire 15.20 6.20 12.90 5.48 0.00 0.00 
			 North Wales 14.10 5.77 15.00 5.99 13.00 5.19 
			 Northamptonshire 21.00 8.78 15.00 6.67 20.54 8.84 
			 Northumbria 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Nottinghamshire 12.80 2.57 12.80 2.65 12.80 2.54 
			 South Wales 105.80 17.35 66.25 10.88 24.00 4.10 
			 South Yorkshire 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Staffordshire 18.90 4.51 41.10 9.48 23.51 5.36 
			 Suffolk 10.36 5.03 12.01 5.77 12.20 5.55 
			 Surrey 45.50 16.49 40.70 14.59 28.20 10.32 
			 Sussex 27.10 7.20 40.40 10.84 20.50 5.34 
			 Teeside 4.00 1.30 6.40 2.06 8.80 2.74 
			 Thames Valley 44.90 6.99 66.10 10.10 49.80 7.54 
			 Warwickshire 8.70 5.10 6.60 4.01 9.90 5.73 
			 West Mercia 26.93 7.04 15.73 4.11 11.90 3.09 
			 West Yorkshire 78.30 7.20 87.10 7.92 66.30 5.93 
			 Wiltshire 14.50 9.30 14.50 9.41 11.30 7.05 
			 NPS total 743.73 3.75 749.23 3.78 600.48 2.98 
		
	
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			   Quarter 4  Quarter 1  Quarter 2 
			   Figure  Percentage  Figure  Percentage  Figure  percentage 
			 Avon and Somerset 67.70 11.72 67.90 11.71 77.60 12.96 
			 Bedfordshire 15.20 7.30 17.20 8.34 0.00 0.00 
			 Cambridgeshire 18.32 7.61 22.80 9.20 14.10 5.65 
			 Cheshire 5.60 1.55 21.00 5.53 48.90 10.70 
			 Cumbria 6.45 3.55 5.50 2.95 19.30 9.73 
			 Derbyshire 9.20 2.52 8.80 2.38 0.00 0.00 
			 Devon and Cornwall 15.30 3.21 11.30 2.35 31.40 6.34 
			 Dorset 9.30 4.12 20.60 8.91 17.40 7.37 
			 Durham 4.04 1.32 19.80 6.27 27.70 8.67 
			 Dyfed Powys 6.30 4.09 4.60 2.97 3.50 2.15 
			 Essex 6.80 1.49 7.00 1.52 7.00 1.50 
			 Gloucestershire 7.88 4.33 10.09 5.40 14.31 7.50 
			 Gwent 11 .90 5.00 8.00 3.49 2.30 0.98 
			 Hampshire 14.50 2.65 26.00 4.49 0.00 0.00 
			 Hertfordshire 16.10 6.90 20.60 8.84 12.40 5.48 
			 Humberside 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Kent 25.08 5.10 26.96 5.55 29.31 6.09 
			 Lancashire 22.60 3.67 28.50 4.71 21.50 3.56 
			 Leicestershire 20.80 4.50 30.60 6.24 20.30 4.23 
			 Lincolnshire 4.00 1.70 8.00 3.46 5.00 2.17 
			 Merseyside 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Norfolk 13.25 4.88 5.00 1.83 11.00 3.84 
			 North Yorkshire 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 North Wales 5.20 2.11 7.50 2.96 7.60 2.99 
			 Northamptonshire 6.00 2.65 19.60 8.19 28.10 11.74 
			 Northumbria 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Nottinghamshire 12.80 2.42 12.80 2.35 12.80 2.32 
			 South Wales 23.50 3.97 40.50! 6.58 26.00 4.13 
			 South Yorkshire 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Staffordshire 20.40 4.61 12.50 2.92 12.20 2.82 
			 Suffolk 11.00 4.99 12.10 5.37 29.38 12.06 
			 Surrey 18.50 6.82 27.20 9.48 23.90 8.38 
			 Sussex 20.00 5.11 17.00 4.39 3.00 0.79 
			 Teeside 9.80 3.00 30.80 8.32 52.60 13.59 
			 Thames Valley 52.40 7.78 59.20 8.84 55.30 8.38 
			 Warwickshire 4.50 2.59 5.80 3.38 4.00 2.29 
			 West Mercia 8.51 2.21 13.60 3.51 21.66 5.52 
			 West Yorkshire 52.18 4.83 50.50 4.61 97.78 8.75 
			 Wiltshire 10.60 6.74 9.60 6.29 21.70 13.09 
			 NPS total 555.71 2.74 688.95 3.35 759.04 3.64 
			  Notes: 1. London figures are not included because the area is currently undertaking a recruitment exercise to achieve a 10 per cent. increase in staffing levels this year. The London probation area has only been able to provide active vacancy information from quarter 1 2005-06.  2. The Greater Manchester and West Midlands probation areas have also been omitted as they are not able to provide active vacancy figures at present.

Racially Motivated Attacks

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many racially motivated murders took place in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) London in each of the last 24 months for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The available information relate to 2002-03 and 2003-04. Data extracted from the homicide index are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Homicides( 1)  with a known racial motivation, recorded by police in England and Wales in 2002-03 and 2003-04( 2) 
			  Month  England and Wales  Metropolitan Police 
			  2002-03   
			 April — — 
			 May — — 
			 June — — 
			 July — — 
			 August 1 1 
			 September — — 
			 October — — 
			 November 1 1 
			 December 2 1 
			 January — — 
			 February 2 2 
			 March 1 — 
			
			  2003-04   
			 April 2 — 
			 May — — 
			 June 3 2 
			 July — — 
			 August — — 
			 September 1 — 
			 October — — 
			 November — — 
			 December 1 1 
			 January — — 
			 February 1 — 
			 March — — 
			 (1) Includes murder, manslaughter and infanticide.  (2) As at 22 October 2004. Homicide offences are shown according to the year in which the police initially recorded the offence as homicide. This is not necessarily the year in which the incident took place or the year in which any court decision was made.

Right-to-Work Permits

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has issued to other Government Departments and agencies on the need to verify the right-to-work permits of non-UK citizens undertaking  (a) contracted and  (b) sub-contracted work.

Liam Byrne: Section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 is the primary measure for combating illegal working. It provides employers with a statutory defence from conviction if they check and record certain specified documents belonging to potential employees. To support employers in meeting their responsibilities under section 8, IND produced short (summary) guidance which was distributed widely among other Government Departments and agencies. If further guidance on this legislation is required, the booklet refers the reader to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate website where comprehensive guidance is available, and there is also a reference to the Employers' Helpline which offers a dedicated service for employers by advising on the legislation on preventing illegal migrant working. The Employers' Helpline also disseminates hard copies of the comprehensive guidance on request. The comprehensive guidance makes clear that this legislation covers contracted and sub-contracted employment.

Secure Training Centres

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions oxygen was used on  (a) staff and  (b) trainees following incidents involving the use of restraint in (i) Hassockfield, (ii) Medway, (iii) Oakhill and (iv) Rainsbrook secure training centres between (A) January and June 2005, (B) July and December 2005 and (C) January and May 2006.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Oxygen was administered to trainees at Rainsbrook following a restraint incident twice during the first six months of 2005 and twice during the last six months. On each occasion the trainee had been hyperventilating or appeared to be feeling faint. None of the trainees had lost consciousness. In each case, oxygen was administered as a precaution and no other treatment was required.
	These were the only occasions during the specified periods on which oxygen was used at any of the secure training centres in connection with a restraint incident.

Secure Training Centres

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times restraint was used in  (a) Hassockfield,  (b) Medway,  (c) Oakhill and  (d) Rainsbrook secure training centres between (i) January and June 2005, (ii) July and December 2005 and (iii) January and May 2006.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested—apart from the figures for May 2006, which are not yet available—is given in the following table. It includes all occasions on which any form of physical intervention was necessary, including low-level interventions such as a young person being led away from a potential incident.
	
		
			  Use of physical intervention in secure training centres 
			   January to June 2005  July to December 2005  January to April 2006 
			 Hassockfield 410 591 310 
			 Medway 1,010 636 291 
			 Oakhill 474 595 265 
			 Rainsbrook 293 282 123

Secure Training Centres

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions  (a) staff and  (b) trainees lost consciousness during incidents involving the use of restraint in (i) Hassockfield, (ii) Medway, (iii) Oakhill and (iv) Rainsbrook secure training centres between (A) January and June 2005, (B) July and December 2005 and (C) January and May 2006.

Gerry Sutcliffe: No trainees or staff lost consciousness in the course of restraint at any of the secure training centres during the specified periods.

Secure Training Centres

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions  (a) staff and  (b) trainees were injured during incidents involving the use of restraint in (i) Hassockfield, (ii) Medway, (iii) Oakhill and (iv) Rainsbrook secure training centres between (A) January and June 2005, (B) July and December 2005 and (C) January and May 2006.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is given in the following table, apart from the figures for May 2006, which are not yet available. The table shows all injuries that required treatment by a medical practitioner.
	
		
			  Injuries to staff and trainees resulting from restraint incidents in secure training centres 
			   January to June 2005  July to December 2005  January to April 2006 
			   Staff  Trainees  Staff  Trainees  Staff  Trainees 
			 Hassockfield 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Medway 1 0 2 0 0 0 
			 Oakhill 0 0 3 0 1 0 
			 Rainsbrook 0 1 5 1 0 0

Serious and Organised Crime Agency

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of posts in the Serious and Organised Crime Agency are unfilled.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 17 May 2006
	The Serious Organised Crime Agency was established on 1 April 2006 with a staff of around 4,300, the vast majority of whom came from the precursor agencies. SOCA has identified shortages in some specific skills which it is now seeking to fill through external recruitment and internal promotion and staff moves.

Terrorism

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many terrorist suspects have been detained by the police at UK airports since July 2005.

Tony McNulty: Information in the precise form requested is not held centrally. Records of arrests and charges generally under the Terrorism Act 2000 are available on the Home Office website (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/terrorism-act/) for the period September 2001 to September 2005.

Terrorism

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the consultation period on the Draft Code of Practice for the detention, treatment and questioning of persons under section 41 and schedule 8 to the Terrorism Act 2000 lasts from 2 May to 25 May; and what account was taken of the Cabinet Office Code on consultation criteria when setting the consultation period.

Tony McNulty: The Government undertook to produce a Code of Practice before bringing into force the provisions of the Terrorism Act 2006 which relate to extended detention. These provisions were discussed extensively during the passage of the Act, and given the urgent need to have these powers in place as soon as possible, I hope my hon. Friend will understand why the period of consultation agreed by the Government and the main opposition parties is shorter than usual.
	The Code of Practice is also based largely on the revised Code of Practice for the detention, treatment and questioning of persons by police officers (Code C), issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which was subject to extensive consultation before being issued on 1 January 2006.
	The Consultation Paper issued with the Draft Code of Practice stated clearly that this consultation process was not being carried out within the usual Cabinet Office guidelines.

Violent Crime

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which crimes are recorded under the general heading of violent crime in his Department's statistics.

Tony McNulty: Violent crime comprises of the offence groups of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery. The individual offences in each group are shown in Appendix two of "Crime in England and Wales 2004-05", and are available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb1105append.pdf

Work Permits

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received about work permits from  (a) farmers and (b) the National Farmers Union.

Liam Byrne: Since the beginning of 2006 my predecessor, the hon. Member for Harrow, East, has received four representations from farmers and growers in the UK regarding the future of the seasonal agricultural workers scheme (SAWS) and a comprehensive reply from the National Farmers Union (NFU) in response to the consultation document "Selective Migration: Making Migration Work for Britain". There is also close contact with the NFU through the Illegal Working Stakeholder Group.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Capita Group

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Education and Skills what meetings  (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have held with directors and senior executives of (i) Capita Group plc. an (ii) its subsidiaries since 1 January 2004; and whether (A) Capita Group plc. and (B) its subsidiaries have provided input (1) in writing and (2) in person to policy discussions in his Department since 1 January 2004.

Bill Rammell: This question could be answered only at disproportionate cost.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  when she will answer the letter to her dated 8 March from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Dr. D. Ziegeler;
	(2)  when he will answer the letter to his predecessor dated 8 March from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Dr. D. Ziegeler;
	(3)  when he will answer the letter to his predecessor dated 8 March from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Dr. D. Ziegeler.

Alan Johnson: I responded to my right hon. Friend's letters on 23 May.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will reply to the letter to his predecessor dated 20 March 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Debbie Burton.

Jim Knight: I responded to my right hon. Friend's letter of 20 March, and his subsequent letter of20 April, on 22 May.

Departmental Expenditure

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the 10 non-public sector entities that have received the largest total sum of payments from his Department in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The payments system used by the Department for Education and Skills does not currently hold sufficient detail about the nature of it's suppliers to be able to easily and accurately collect this information.

Education and Inspections Bill

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the level of administration required to implement the provisions of the Education and Inspections Bill.

Jim Knight: The Education and Inspections Bill is generally deregulatory in nature, providing a legislative framework to establish a new relationship between government, local authorities and schools. However, there are additional costs for some elements of the Bill. These are set out in the Bill's Regulatory Impact Assessment which is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/educationandinspectionsbill.

Education and Inspections Bill

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received from hon. Members representing Scottish constituencies on the Education and Inspections Bill.

Jim Knight: We have received three representations on the Education and Inspections Bill from MPs representing Scottish constituencies. These have raised a number of issues, including:
	The faith character of trust schools;
	Whether the Bill has implications for the Barnett formula; and
	A request for a response to the National Union of Teachers' leaflet about the Bill.

Education and Inspections Bill

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what system of inspections he will put in place to ensure the maintenance of nutritional standards in schools following introduction of the measures proposed in the Education and Inspections Bill;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the likely costs of the nutritional school meals proposed in the Education and Inspections Bill; and what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposals for the costs of school meals to  (a) schools,  (b) local education authorities and  (c) parents.

Jim Knight: The responsibility for ensuring that the nutritional standards are being met will rest with either the local authority or the school governing body, depending on the model of provision. Ofsted are already inspecting schools' general approach to healthy eating as part of the new inspection framework for schools. They have also already carried out, alongside nutritionists, a pilot thematic study in three local authorities, looking at the standard of food provided in a sample of schools. A further larger-scale thematic study is planned for next year.
	We have published a full Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) which considers the financial impact that the new nutritional standards will have. In compiling the RIA, account was taken of the report written for the School Meals Review Panel (SMRP) by PricewaterhouseCoopers on the costs of implementing the Caroline Walker Trust's recommendations, which are closely mirrored by the recommendations of the SMRP.

Education and Inspections Bill

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the likely costs of the free transport provisions of the Education and Inspections Bill.

Jim Knight: The Education and Inspections Bill includes provisions that place a general duty on local authorities to promote sustainable school travel and extend the entitlement to free home to school transport for low income families. It will also enable a small number of local authorities to run Pathfinder schemes which will include innovative arrangements supporting school choice; and increase the proportion of pupils travelling by sustainable means.
	In 2004/05 local authorities in England spent£772 million on free and assisted home to school transport. This will be supplemented by £4 million per annum to fund the new general duty to promote sustainable travel; £40 million per annum to extend the entitlement to free transport to low income families, and £12 million per annum to support Pathfinder schemes.

Energy Conservation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advice and assistance is available to schools to enable them to reduce their energy bills and use.

Jim Knight: There is extensive guidance available for schools to improve their energy efficiency on the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) webpages(1) including the Department's Energy and Water Management Guide. The DfES launched a consultation on its framework for sustainable schools on 15 May. The framework promotes eight doorways to sustainability for schools, one of which is energy and water. The framework promotes a whole school approach to water and energy management in schools. A comprehensive website which will go live on 9 June this year combining management tools with curriculum resources for all of the eight sustainability themes(2). The Energy Certification Scheme for Schools(3) and the Carbon Trusts programmes(4 )also provide advice and assistance to schools.
	(1) www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/sd/focuson/energy/energy management/
	(2) www.teachernet.gov.uk/sustainableschools
	(3) www.est.org.uk/schools
	(4) www.carbontrust.co.uk/energy

Field Courses

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what representations his Department has received regarding the effects of educational field courses on the academic performance of pupils;
	(2)  when the Education Outside the Classroom Manifesto is expected to be published; and what resources will be made available for schools to implement the aims of the manifesto;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to encourage teachers to take up fieldwork courses offered by science learning centres.

Jim Knight: The Department works closely with organisations such as the Field Studies Council(FSC), National Association of Field Study Officers (NAFSO), Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), Geographical Association and Association for Science Education on field work in schools including its contribution to improving academic performance. As part of the emerging Education Outside the Classroom Manifesto, a group of leading organisations from the fieldwork sector (including those listed above) submitted a report to the Department on the benefits of fieldwork and recommendations to promote and support field studies in schools.
	We aim to launch the Education Outside the Classroom Manifesto before the end of the summer term when DfES will announce its pledges.
	Science Learning Centres, a £51 million joint initiative by the Department and the Wellcome Trust, provide high quality professional development for science teachers.
	To help encourage teachers to attend Science Learning Centres courses, the Department have provided funding to help subsidise the costs of the courses for the first two years of operation.

Learning and Skills Councils

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the costs were of  (a) closing training and enterprise councils,  (b) the creation of learning and skills councils and  (c) the merging of learning and skills councils.

Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council was established in 2001 to replace the 72 Training and Enterprise Councils and the Further Education Funding Council. It was estimated that this would result in savings of some £50 million per annum. These savings have been realised and a significant proportion has been reinvested in better training in local areas.
	Building on this, the Learning and Skills Council is currently undertaking a second major restructuring exercise which will further streamline the organisation and strengthen its capacity to work strategically with partners at local and regional level. This will involve the merger of some local offices, and the LSC estimates that, once completed, the restructuring will release up to £40 million per annum nationally.
	The national costs incurred to date in  (a) closing the Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) and (b) creating the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) are £83 million. TECs, which were independent local companies, will also have incurred some local costs connected with the ending of the TEC network, but we do not have details of the amounts involved. Although the majority of TECs have now been formally wound up, there will be some additional costs involved in winding up those remaining. It is not possible to disaggregate the costs associated with  (a) and  (b).

Mrs J. Watson

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will answer the letter to his predecessor dated 4 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mrs. J. Watson.

Alan Johnson: I responded to my right hon. Friend's letter on 22 May.

Online Learning

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what plans he has to extend access to personal online learning space as outlined in the Schools White Paper to the further and higher education sectors;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure all schoolchildren have access to a personal online learning space by 2008 as outlined in the Schools White Paper.

Phil Hope: The Department is working closely with Becta, JISC and other stakeholders to establish the extent to which the approach to providing access to a personal online learning space in schools can be shared with further and higher education, and what can be learned from these sectors' experience with learning platforms by schools.
	DfES will provide funding to local authorities in 2006-07 and 2007-08 to provide access to a personalised online learning space (through a learning platform) for all their schools by 2008. Our expectation is that local authorities will use the expertise of Regional Broadband Consortia to make best use of the funding (for example, through aggregated procurement) and to make sure that schools' needs are met effectively. Guidance has been made available to local authorities and schools to allow them to plan and meet their requirements in time to meet the 2008 personal online space target. Becta is procuring a national framework (with preferred suppliers), which will help purchasers to select appropriate learning platforms. This framework will be available to all educational institutions from January 2007.

Private Finance Initiative

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many complaints his Department has received about the operation of private finance initiative contracts in schools over the last 12 months.

Jim Knight: I do not have a tally of the number of complaints which the Department has received about private finance initiative contracts, but I will write shortly to you with this information. We have been working consistently to improve the delivery of operational private finance initiative contracts in response to problems that have been brought to our attention. We have, for instance, provided additional support directly and through Partnerships UK for those schools and authorities which had contracts with Jarvis plc., and where there were undoubtedly exceptional problems because of the financial difficulties of that firm.
	Ensuring satisfactory delivery of the services included in a private finance initiative contract is the responsibility of the authority which is signatory to the contract. However, the Department is always happy to advise and support where there are individual problems that cannot be resolved locally. It also continues to work with Her Majesty's Treasury and with other Departments to improve the delivery of public services through private finance initiatives. This is done by a process of continuous improvement of the contracts, and also by providing additional support through the recently formed Operational Task Force. This will support and intervene on wider structural issues like benchmarking, market testing, payment mechanisms and variations.

Private Finance Initiative

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether his Department has undertaken a study to evaluate the amount of  (a) time and  (b) money spent by schools and local education authorities on the administration of private finance initiative contracts.

Jim Knight: The Department published last autumn a study on "Post-Signature PFI Contracts", commissioned from Partnerships UK, which is available through:
	www.teachernet.gov.uk/schoolsprivatefinanceinitiative
	This shows that overall the schools and authorities surveyed are satisfied with the services which are delivered through their private finance initiative contracts. However, it also reports some areas for improvement, and makes a series of recommendations which the Department accepts and is acting upon.
	One area for improvement is the high level of resources some schools and authorities have to devote to maintaining their contracts. In March, Her Majesty's Treasury published "PFI: Strengthening Long-term Partnerships", which supported our own findings. Among its recommendations are that authorities should plan to give a proper level of resources to operational contacts. It also announced the formation of a PFI Operational Taskforce with cross-government backing, including from the Department, to provide greater support to projects that are already operational.
	The Department will continue to work with Her Majesty's Treasury and with authorities and schools, directly and through Partnerships UK, to support them and ensure that schools benefit as intended from their private finance initiative contracts.

Private Finance Initiative

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether his Department has undertaken a study to assess the compliance of private finance initiative contractors with the terms of their contracts.

Jim Knight: All private finance initiative contracts include mechanisms for ensuring that the private sector partner delivers the services which are contracted, with financial penalties imposed where this does not happen. Contracts are made between individual authorities and the private sector partners, and the Department does not monitor them.
	In autumn 2004, the Department published a "Post-signature Review" of schools private finance initiative projects which it had commissioned from Partnerships UK. This showed that overall there was satisfaction with the quality of buildings and services delivered by the operational contracts at the schools and authorities surveyed, but it also highlighted some areas where improvement could be made, and made a series of recommendations which the Department accepted and has acted on. Many of the lessons which this survey highlighted had already been included in more recent contracts. This survey is available through:
	www.teachernet.gov.uk/schoolsprivatefinanceinitiative
	These findings were also borne out in a further study which Her Majesty's Treasury published at the time of this year's Budget, "PR: Strengthening the Long-term Partnerships". This paper included setting up an Operational Task Force to support and intervene where there are major issues.

Private Finance Initiative

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the quality of the buildings being constructed under a private finance initiative contract at Cumberland School in the London borough of Newham.

Jim Knight: Private finance initiative contracts are made between local authorities and the private sector partner, following a due procurement procedure which includes consideration of design and value for money. Design details are decided locally, and the local authority has responsibility for ensuring that the private sector partner delivers to the output specified in the contract. The private sector partner has of course the responsibility for fully maintaining and repairing the building throughout the length of the contract. Contracts include mechanisms for financial penalty where the private sector partner does not deliver to contract.
	We work closely with the Commissioners for Architecture and the Built Environment and other bodies with design interests. We have recently published Design Quality Indicators for school buildings, after consultation with relevant bodies. We strongly encourage all local authorities to use these resources.

Recycling

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what  (a) grants are available for and  (b) assistance is offered by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies to schools and colleges for the promotion of education about recycling.

Jim Knight: On 15 May the Department launched a consultation for a framework of action for schools to become models of sustainable development in their communities. One of the key areas covered is developing sustainable policies on purchasing and waste by increasing recycling and conservation. The consultation will run until 1 September. By 2020, our aim is for all schools to be models of resource efficiency, recycling, repairing and reusing as much as possible.
	Our sustainable schools website being launched on 9 June will include a section on grants available to promote sustainable development projects in schools. The site identifies approaches to the challenge of sustainability, award schemes, learning resources, training opportunities, research and local support.

School Meals

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the benefits of using omega 3 and 6 fish oil supplements in school meals.

Jim Knight: The Food Standards Agency comments as follows:
	"The Food Standards Agency is currently conducting a systematic review of research looking at the effect of nutrition and diet on performance and behaviour of children in schools. This includes investigating studies that have used omega 3 and 6 fish oil supplements in schools.
	Government is committed to ensure that children are provided with the food and nutrients they require during the school day and as such has recently published minimum standards for school food."

School Meals

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support he provides to councils who wish to introduce initiatives to improve the health benefits of school meals.

Jim Knight: The School Food Trust will work with local authorities, and others, to understand and where possible overcome the barriers to transforming school food, and to develop a strategy to increase the demand for healthier food in schools. The School Food Trust will produce guidance for local authorities and schools. This will supplement the already 'Food in Schools Toolkit' which includes materials and guidance on, for example, tuck shops, before/after school clubs, water provision and the dining room environment
	In addition DfES has:
	published guidance on procuring healthy school meals and other school food;
	established a School Food Reference Group, which consists mainly of local authority officials from across the country who are involved in school meals, to help identify issues and problems and share good practice;
	compiled and made available a number of case studies to give examples of how particular schools and local authorities have implemented healthy eating initiatives;
	put in place a Level 1 Vocationally Related Qualification which aims to give school cooks and caterers the basic knowledge and skills to deliver a healthier meals service. We are also developing qualifications at Levels 2 and 3 in cooking skills which will be available from September 2006 and form part of the Training and Development Agency's Support Worker in Schools qualification.

Schools (Pre-1970 Construction)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools in  (a) Southend on Sea,  (b) Essex,  (c) Hertfordshire and  (d) the Metropolitan Police area of London were built before 1970; and when.

Jim Knight: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

Student Loans

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total value is of payments made by people repaying student loans but not allocated to student loan accounts in each year since 2002; what the total amount outstanding is; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Student loans are collected by employers alongside income tax and national insurance contributions and passed to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs. At the end of each financial year, HMRC reconciles the loan repayments and passes the information to the Student Loans Company which updates borrowers' accounts. In a small number of cases, HMRC needs to check the returns made by employers, and this can lead to delay in sending statements to borrowers.
	There are no outstanding reconciliations relating to 2002-03 or earlier years; some 1,500 accounts (0.4 per cent. of the total) have still to be reconciled from 2003-04 with a value of about £400,000. HMRC expects to have reconciled nearly all of the 2004-05 returns by the end of June 2006.
	The total amount of student loans outstanding at the end of financial year 2004-05 under the income contingent repayment scheme was £14,147 million. This includes loans not yet due for repayment: borrowers are not required to repay until they are earning £15,000 or more per annum(1).
	(1 )This figure also includes hardship loans and loans made to part-time students but does not include amounts lent under the old mortgage style loans system.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Coroners

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list coroners in England; what the date of appointment of each was; and how many inquests each has performed.

Harriet Harman: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Court Orders (Repossessions)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many court orders have been issued for the repossession of homes in Coventry, South in each of the last five years.

Harriet Harman: Although figures for Coventry, South constituency are not available, the following table shows the number of mortgage possession orders made at Coventry county court in the last five years. This is the only such court in the Coventry area.
	The civil procedure rules provide that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. However, Coventry county court covers areas other than Coventry, South and therefore not all possession actions entered in that court necessarily relate to the Coventry, South area.
	These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts, since not all the orders will have resulted in the issue and execution of warrants of possession.
	
		
			  Number of mortgage( 1)  possession orders made at Coventry county court, 2001-05 
			   Possession orders made( 2) 
			 2001 147 
			 2002 132 
			 2003 137 
			 2004 153 
			 2005 242 
			 (1) Local authority and private (2 )The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply fora warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what incentives her Department offers to encourage staff to share vehicles when travelling to work.

Vera Baird: Vehicle sharing is one of a number of green transport initiatives the DCA promotes, often within a site specific travel plan. The DCA researches and disseminates publications to its staff such as "Making car sharing and car clubs work" and "Making Smarter Choices Work" and encourages the promotion of travel planning and inclusion of car sharing and car club schemes. Other measures supporting sustainable travel include secure cycle parking and showers and events to promote walking and cycling etc. Interest free loans for bicycles are also available to staff to encourage more sustainable travel.
	DCA is also a member of a Civil Service Travel Group, which comprises all major Government Departments. Its key aim is to improve travel sustainability across the entire civil service by developing and delivering on action plans for each Department.

Divorce

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many divorces there have been in Coventry, South in each ethnic group in each year since 2000.

Harriet Harman: The divorce information requested is not collected centrally by constituency area. In addition, the ethnicity of the parties is not collected at all. Therefore it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Elections

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps the Government took to tackle electoral fraud in the local elections.

Bridget Prentice: The Government take the issue of electoral fraud seriously, and prior to the elections worked with administrators, the Electoral Commission, the police, and the political parties on improving both the legislation and practical awareness and responsiveness to the issue on the ground.
	Regulations were passed prior to the May 2006 local elections which contained measures to tackle fraud, including:
	A requirement for Electoral administrators to write to everyone who has applied for a postal vote acknowledging receipt of their application and confirming the outcome—thus alerting people to false applications for postal votes on their behalf.
	Giving administrators more time to check postal vote applications—people now have to apply for a postal vote11 working days before the close of poll, (rather than six days as previously).
	In addition, the Electoral Commission and the Association of Chief Police Officers produced practical guidance for police forces on the prevention and detection of electoral fraud, and the Commission produced a Code of Conduct on the handling of postal vote applications and ballots, which the major political parties signed-up to.

Freedom of Information Requests

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 have been referred to the Access to Information Central Clearing House since 1 January 2005, broken down by Department; and what percentage of requests received by each Department this represents.

Harriet Harman: This information is contained in the 'First Annual Report on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act in Central Government in 2005' which was published on 22 May and can be found at www.foi.gov.uk.

Ministerial Travel (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what discounts are available in relation to hotel accommodation used by  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in her Department.

Vera Baird: My Department has access to a contract for hotel booking services in connection with official travel undertaken by the Department's staff. Figures available for the year ending December 2005 show a saving to my Department of 38 per cent. compared with the full room rates. My Department also benefits from a rebate of 3 per cent. of the annual expenditure on the contract.
	All bookings made by the Department for Special Advisors share the same discounts.

Post-mortems

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what factors decide who should carry out a post-mortem.

Harriet Harman: Any decision will rest with the coroner, who may be expected to take into account the availability and experience of pathologists, as well as the views of others. Rule 6 of the Coroners Rules 1984 sets out the criteria.

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list those Private Members' Bills in respect of which her Department adopted a policy of neutrality in each session since 2001-02; and if she will make a statement.

Vera Baird: My Department adopted a neutral stance on the Human Rights Act 1998 (Making of Remedial Orders) Amendment Bill from the 2003-04 session. The Bill completed all stages in the House of Lords but was dropped before second reading in the House of Commons.

Private Sector Fund Recipients

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the 10 non-public sector entities that have received the largest total sum of payments from her Department in each of the last five years.

Vera Baird: The 10 non-public sector entities that have received the largest total sum of payments from my Department in the financial year 2005-06 were as follows:-
	Electronic Data Systems Ltd
	Fujitsu Services
	Liberata UK Ltd
	Accenture UK Ltd
	National Westminster Bank Ltd - (as Government Procurement Card provider)
	Gartside Ltd
	Land Securities Properties Ltd
	Kelly Services (UK) Ltd
	Initial Security Ltd
	The Techologies Group
	This analysis excludes payments made by the Department's executive non-departmental public bodies, for example, the Legal Services Commission.
	Information for 2001-05 would require the commissioning of a special report which could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Unspent Budget

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much of the budget for her Department remained unspent in the 2005-06 financial year.

Vera Baird: The Department's underspend against its DEL budget will be included in the Provisional Outturn White Paper, which is due to be published before the summer recess in July.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

China

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what steps he has taken through the China Task Force to promote human rights and non-violent responses to demonstrators in China;
	(2)  what representations he has made to his Chinese counterparts in the China Task Force on promoting women's rights in the People's Republic of China.

John Prescott: The Government regularly raises human rights concerns with Chinese interlocutors, through ministerial engagement, the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue and EU mechanisms.
	The China Task Force makes recommendations to the Government on its policy towards China in seven key areas: trade and investment, education, scienceand technology, health, culture, environment and sustainable development, and development issues. Its remit does not cover human rights issues.

China

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what work the China Task Force has undertaken to combat climate change.

John Prescott: During the 2004 UK-China summit, the China Task Force proposed the creation of a UK-China Working Group on climate change, focusing on four key areas: the review and development of ongoing climate science collaboration between the UK and China, energy efficiency, the restructuring of the energy market towards a low carbon future, and adaptation mechanisms.
	Sustainable development is also an important part of the China Task Force's remit. The Task Force instigated the UK-China High-level Dialogue on Sustainable Development during President Hu's State Visit in November 2005. This Dialogue provides a framework for further work with China on Sustainable Development issues affecting climate change, including Sustainable consumption and production and energy for Sustainable development.

China

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he last met Tang Jiaxuan to discuss the work of the China Task Force.

John Prescott: I last met State Councillor Tang on 21 February this year in Beijing, and had extensive talks on a number of Task Force areas, and discussions on how we can best take forward Task Force recommendations.
	I will be contacting Councillor Tang over the summer on how best to take forward the priorities of the China Task Force in the UK, and the UK Task Force in China.

China

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had through the China Task Force on combating avian influenza in  (a) China and  (b) the UK.

John Prescott: The remit of the China Task Force was expanded in October 2005 to include Health. The China Task Force discussed epidemics in China at its October meeting last year. In February this year I visited Ditan Hospital, a leading infectious disease hospital in Beijing. I was accompanied by Chinese Health Minister Gao Qiang and discussed preparations China is making to handle the possible emergence of a pandemic influenza strain.

China

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the work of the China Task Force.

John Prescott: At the request of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, the China Task Force was created in 2003 and I was asked to be its chair.
	The Task Force has developed into a high level contact mechanism, which is recognised and valued by the Chinese Government. It has contributed fresh thinking on Government policy on China in the areas under its remit, and made recommendations on the further development of those policies. The Task Force has added value to a number of key issues, including an agreement to annual Prime Minister level UK-China summits, the signature of a Sustainable Development Dialogue, and support of strategic progress in key trade and investment sectors.
	At the end of 2005 UK exports to China grew by16 per cent., which was faster than all our EU competitors except France.

Ministerial Meetings

David Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what meetings he attended in  (a) Shanghai relating to the 2010 International Expo and  (b) Beijing relating to the 2008 Olympics; and what the outcome of the meetings was.

John Prescott: During my visit to China this February, I had a meeting in Beijing with Liu Qi, President of the Beijing Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and visited part of the Olympic site. We discussed work under way to establish a "sustainability bridge" linking London and Beijing's Olympic games. This will involve an exchange of expertise and good practice on how we are respectively approaching the sustainable development dimensions of the Games, complementing other ongoing initiatives.
	In Shanghai, I held a meeting with Mayor Man at which we discussed EXPO 2010. We discussed the possible use of United Kingdom expertise in developing the project.

Ministerial Travel

David Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his findings in relation to his trip to China in February; what the itinerary was; and what the cost was.

John Prescott: During my trip to China in February I undertook 28 engagements across five cities, covering all of the themes of the China Task Force, including meetings with Premier Wen Jiabao,Jia Qinglin, State Councillor Tang and Donald Tsang, Chief Executive of Hong Kong.
	The engagements covered issues such as health, education, sustainable development, urban regeneration, and the Olympics as well as maintaining high level political contacts.
	Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year and total costs of all ministerial overseas travel. Copies are available in the Library.

Ministerial Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many miles he travelled in his ministerial car in April.

John Prescott: This information is not collected centrally. All ministerial travel is taken in accordance with the guidance "Travel by Ministers".

CABINET OFFICE

Consultants

Nick Brown: To ask the Minister without Portfolio what advice she receives from consultants and public relations companies when providing strategic thinking on the general direction of Government policy and the values underpinning it; what contract Portland PR has to assist with these responsibilities; what contractual relationship she has with a public relations company which wholly or in part assists with the discharging of her ministerial responsibilities; and what the terms are of the contract.

Hazel Blears: I have not appointed any consultants.

Pensions

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many and what percentage of staff in her Department are making additional voluntary contributions to their pension.

Hilary Armstrong: Members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) can pay additional contributions to top up their pension either through the Civil Service Additional Voluntary Contributions Scheme (CSAVCS), a money purchase arrangement, or by buying added years of service in the PCSPS, As an alternative to membership of the PCSPS recruits from 1 October 2002 have been able to join a stakeholder arrangement, the partnership pension account.
	The number and percentage of staff in the Department who are making additional voluntary contributions to their pension as at 30 April 2006 are shown in the table.
	
		
			   Number  Percentage 
			 CSAVCS 30 1.6 
			 Added Years 87 4.6 
			 Partnership 35 1.8

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

1976 Drought (Economic Impact)

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of lessons to be learned from the economic impact of the 1976 drought on the UK economy;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the impact on the economy of a stand-pipe regime under a drought order in London and the South East; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I am not aware of any assessment undertaken of the economic impacts of the 1976 drought.
	Standpipes for the supply of water can only be authorised through an emergency drought order. The likelihood of any such orders being required as a consequence of the current drought in South East England is very small.

Animal Welfare

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what factors were taken into account when deciding which measures relating to animal welfare should be included in the Government's preferred options for the England Rural Development Programme 2007 to 2013;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the impact on animal welfare standards of the preferred options for the England Rural Development Programme 2007 to 2013;
	(3)  whether he took account of the animal welfare measures to be included in the Rural Development Programmes for Wales and Scotland in determining the England Rural Development Programme 2007 to 2013.

Barry Gardiner: The recent consultation on the priorities for the next Rural Development Programme for England was informed by our extensive analysis of economic, environmental and social issues facing rural areas.
	In line with this principle, we proposed that the most effective way to use the next Rural Development Programme in England to address our animal health and welfare objectives, as part of our wider aim of making farming more competitive and sustainable, is through increased opportunities for training and knowledge transfer.
	We shall make decisions on the priorities for the next Rural Development Programme in England in the light of the responses to the consultation, and in the context of the EU Rural Development budget allocations and our own discussions on the use of voluntary modulation and associated match funding.
	There will continue to be separate Rural Development Programmes for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for the new programming period, 2007-2013. This is necessary to reflect the different priorities and needs identified within each part of the UK.

Avian Influenza

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether John Pointon and Sons Ltd. have been appointed as renderers to deal with the carcasses of birds affected by avian influenza; and whether the company has a valid licence.

Ben Bradshaw: John Pointon and Sons Ltd. have not been appointed as renderers to deal with the carcasses of birds affected by avian influenza. However, they are on the list of potentially suitable renderers that would be approached in the event of an outbreak of a notifiable exotic disease. The company is expected to apply to the Environment Agency for a permit under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations 2000.

Badgers/Bovine Tuberculosis

Eric Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the most accurate methods of estimating the badger population are; and what the margins of error are.

Ben Bradshaw: For small scale surveys, of individual or a small number of social groups, Defra-funded research has used DNA fingerprinting of faecal samples obtained from badger latrines to identify the number of individuals present. Due to cost this method is not appropriate for use over large areas.
	Widescale national surveys have been based on counting the number of active badger setts, but this method cannot identify the number of animals using each sett and is insensitive to changes in social group size. In these circumstances night-time lamping surveys can be used to estimate badger densities on pasture. The margins of error of each method depend on the number of samples collected and no generalisations can be made.

Badgers/Bovine Tuberculosis

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the success of methods of containing bovine tuberculosis other than the culling of badgers;
	(2)  what evidence he has assessed on the effectiveness of alternatives to badger culling in significantly reducing bovine tuberculosis.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answers 23 May 2006
	The Government have assessed and implemented a range of alternative measures to reduce bovine tuberculosis (TB):
	In addition to the routine TB testing programme prescribed by EU legislation, we introduced compulsory pre-movement testing of cattle in England on 27 March to help reduce the risk of spreading TB through cattle movements. The legislation applies to cattle over 15 months of age moving from one and two year tested herds (phase 1 of the policy). It will be extended to movements of cattle over 42 days old on 1 March 2007 (phase 2). We estimate that phase 1 will achieve a reduction in new TB incidents of about 500 each year, with reductions of about 700 under phase 2.
	We plan to extend the use of the gamma interferon test as an adjunct to the TB skin test in order to improve diagnosis of the disease.
	We have a wide-ranging research programme in place looking at developing a TB vaccine for cattle and badgers, and investigating ways to limit interactions between cattle and badgers.
	Based on the findings of past research, DEFRA has issued farmers with guidelines on good husbandry practices to try to minimise the transmission of bovine TB. More details are available on the DEFRA website: www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/abouttb/index.htm#protect

Badgers/Bovine Tuberculosis

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the potential costs of bovine tuberculosis outbreaks caused by the perturbation effect resulting from badger culling; and whether these costs were included in the cost-benefit analysis included with his Department's consultation document.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 23 May 2006
	The partial regulatory impact assessment and cost benefit analysis published with our "Consultation on controlling the spread of bovine tuberculosis in cattle in high incidence areas in England" made clear that the potential cost of any perturbation effect was not included as data was not available at the time.
	The existing cost-benefit model is now being updated to include the effects of perturbation resulting from badger culling.

Badgers/Bovine Tuberculosis

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what ways he takes into account public opinion in determining the Government's policies on bovine tuberculosis control.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 25 May 2006
	The 'Government strategic framework for the sustainable control of bovine tuberculosis in Great Britain', published in March 2005, sets out our commitment to work in partnership with our stakeholders, including farmers, consumers, vets, wildlife groups and conservation groups, in developing policies on bovine tuberculosis (bTB).
	We worked closely with stakeholder groups in developing the Strategic Framework itself, and in developing our policy for pre-movement testing in England. Between December 2005 and March 2006 we consulted on the principle and method of badger culling in high incidence areas of England, and held a number of citizens' panels to provide further information to feed into the consultation process.
	On 6 March we held our first annual bTB meeting for Great Britain, which allowed a two-way exchange of information between the Government and our stakeholders on the latest bTB developments and provided opportunities for constructive discussion. In addition, we are in the process of setting up a new national bTB stakeholder body to advise on the development and delivery of new bTB policies.

Badgers/Bovine Tuberculosis

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how his Department plans to weight responses to the consultation document 'Controlling the Spread of Bovine Tuberculosis in Cattle in High Incidence Areas in England: Badger Culling';
	(2)  how many responses were received to the consultation document 'Controlling the Spread of Bovine Tuberculosis in Cattle in High Incidence Areas in England: Badger Culling' by  (a) post,  (b) email,  (c) telephone,  (d) e-petition and  (e) other methods.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answers 25 May 2006
	47,474 consultation responses were received by post and email; further responses were received in the form of petitions. The specific method was not recorded for each response as it is not relevant to the analytical process.
	Responses are not being weighted. They are classified and analysed by the type of respondent (e.g. stakeholder or public) and the content of the response (e.g. standard campaign letter, brief yes or no statement or detailed response).

Badgers/Bovine Tuberculosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions his Department has had with Prionics AG since its acquisition of the Bovigam gamma interferon bovine tuberculosis test; and what alternatives to this test are available to the Department.

Ben Bradshaw: The Veterinary Laboratories Agency is working closely with Prionics to refine the Bovigam test and further evaluate its performance. There are currently no equally sensitive alternative blood-based tests.

Badgers/Bovine Tuberculosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the terms of reference are for the current trials using snares for catching badgers; where the trials are being conducted; and when  (a) the trials will end and  (b) the results will be published.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 25 May 2006
	The objective of the current trial is to assess whether a specially designed body snare for badgers is an effective and humane method of restraint. The body snare is intended to be non-lethal and the purpose of the proposed trials is to assess the snare. The study will follow the principles laid down in the draft EU Directive on Humane Trapping Standards whereby the humaneness of a trapping device is first assessed under controlled conditions in pen trials before, if its humaneness is deemed to be acceptable, field trials of the device are conducted to confirm its humaneness and to assess its efficacy and non-target risks. The aim is to release all captured badgers taken during the trial back into the wild unharmed.
	Pen trials have now been completed and field trials have commenced. Following completion of the trials and peer review a full report will be published by the end of the summer.
	Research in relation to wildlife can be sensitive and controversial. There are real concerns over the security of the sites and the personal safety of the staff involved in this particular work and therefore I regret that I cannot supply this information.

Badgers/Bovine Tuberculosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the most recent statistics are for the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle; what assessment he has made of the impact on the results of the use of new tuberculin in tests; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 25 May 2006
	Latest provisional statistics show that the estimated incidence of bovine TB in Great Britain was 2.9 per cent. in the first quarter of 2006, compared to 4.8 per cent. in the same period of 2005 and 3.4 per cent. in 2004(1).
	It is too early at present to draw any conclusions about the reduction in incidence from 2005 to 2006, as this may be due to one of a range of reasons or a combination of factors. The possible causes are currently under investigation.
	(1) Confirmed new herd incidents as a percentage of tests on unrestricted herds. Provisional data downloaded from DEFRA's animal health database (Vetnet) on 24 May 2006. Subject to change as more data becomes available.

Badgers/Bovine Tuberculosis

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which the total eradication of bovine tuberculosis is achievable.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 24 May 2006
	The 'Government Strategic Framework for the sustainable control of bovine TB in Great Britain', published in early 2005, focuses on our assessment of what is achievable within a 10-year timeframe. The vision set out in the Strategic Framework is to slow down and prevent the geographic spread of bovine TB to areas currently free of the disease, and achieve a sustained reduction in disease incidence in cattle in high incidence areas.

Badgers/Bovine Tuberculosis

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what definition his Department uses of  (a) satisfactory,  (b) control,  (c) reduction, and  (d) contain in its summary of the advice from veterinary surgeons in the report Controlling the Spread of Bovine Tuberculosis in Cattle in High Incidence Areas in England: Badger Culling.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 24 May 2006
	The definitions the department have used are as follows:
	Satisfactory: disease control and humaneness requirements are met by the policy.
	Control: a halt in the increase in the incidence of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle.
	Reduction: a decline in the number of outbreaks of bTB in cattle in high incidence areas.
	Contain: prevention of the spread and establishment of bTB in cattle herds in areas clear or with a low incidence of TB in England.

Badgers/Bovine Tuberculosis

Ann Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the total coalesced land area involved would be if  (a) badger culling boundaries were set at (i) one kilometre and(ii) 2.5 kilometres from the boundaries of all tuberculosis-infected farms in England and  (b) if badger culling areas of 300 square kilometres were established around the boundaries of all such farms, using 2005 as the reference year;
	(2)  what the total coalesced land area is in theexample of coalescence over  (a) one kilometre and (b) 2.5 kilometres from the boundaries of farms in high tuberculosis incidence areas in England, in Figure 3, page 37, of the consultation document, Controlling the Spread of Bovine Tuberculosis in Cattle in High Incidence Areas in England: Badger Culling.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 23 May 2006
	The area covered by a cull would be dependent on the culling policy. No decision has been taken on whether to introduce a culling policy nor the precise way this would be done.
	The Government have made it clear that if a decision was to be taken to cull badgers to reduce the incidence of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), culling would be limited to land in high incidence areas in England, (i.e. with repeated herd breakdown) and not to any farm infected with bTB.
	The maps of coalesced culling areas presented in the consultation document, "Controlling the Spread of Bovine Tuberculosis in Cattle in High Incidence Areas in England: Badger Culling", are for illustrative purposes only. The coalesced area they illustrate is based on only one possible approach to culling and is estimated as a range of 19,650 km(2)-25,200 km(2).

Bridleways

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when guidance was last issued to local authorities on the use of traffic regulation orders to counter unauthorised motorised vehicles on bridleways.

Barry Gardiner: Guidance was last issued in December 2005. It is contained within "Regulating the use of motor vehicles on public rights of way and off road—A guide for Local Authorities, Police and Community Safety Partnerships".

Buncefield

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment the Government have made of the effect on the local environment of perfluorooctane sulphonate use during the Buncefield Depot fire.

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment the Government have made of the effect on the local environment of the use of perfluorooctane sulphonate during the Buncefield Depot fire.

Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency started to monitor for perfluorooctance sulfonate (PFOS) in the vicinity of the site following the fire in order to give a better understanding of the impact of the incident on the environment.
	The agency has been closely monitoring the River Ver, and have detected low levels of PFOS in the river both during and after the Buncefield incident. No evidence to date has been observed of any impact on fish or other wildlife in the river as a result of this contaminant.
	Water samples have been taken from the network of groundwater boreholes both on the Buncefield site and in the surrounding area. These samples have also shown evidence of the presence of PFOS mainly at low levels or below the limit of detection. Two samples however showed elevated levels of PFOS at 4.5 and5.9 micrograms/litre. Repeat testing of the sample giving the higher result, showed a much lower level of 0.20 micrograms/litre.
	The latest results of this groundwater monitoring were the subject of an Environment Agency press release on Friday 12 May. Details can be found on the agency website at: http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/1387272.
	The agency has instigated a significant programme of work to further monitor the presence and extent of PFOS in both surface and ground waters in the environment around Buncefield. This programme will also look at background levels of PFOS in the wider environment in England and Wales.
	The Environment Agency will continue to make public its findings as they emerge.

Corporate Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions he has accepted corporate hospitality in the last 12 months.

Barry Gardiner: Paragraph 5.28 of the Ministerial Code sets out the rules on the registration of hospitality.

Correspondence

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he will reply to the letters of 8 March and 18 April 2006 from the hon. Member for West Derbyshire concerning a constituent Mr. John Wood of Winster, Derbyshire, and legislation in respect of the protection of bats.

Barry Gardiner: I apologise for the delay in replying to the hon. Member's letter. A response will be issued shortly.

Countryside Access

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications were made under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 for new rights of access in each district of Gloucestershire in each year since the Act came into force; and how many were successful.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 25 May 2006
	I assume that the question seeks the number of appeals made either in relation to the mapping of land as open country and registered common land or decisions on restrictions and exclusions of the right of access under Part I of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Defra does not hold figures for either type of appeal broken down by local authority district, or by local authority area. This information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Emissions Trading

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to discuss changes to the EU emissions trading scheme with his EU counterparts.

Ian Pearson: The Government continues to support the Commission in its efforts to improve and strengthen the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in the longer term, including work to include aviation emissions in the scheme. The UK works closely with the Commission's Aviation Working Group, which is considering how best to include aviation in the scheme. We are continuing to press the Commission to present a legislative proposal by the end of 2006.
	The UK welcomes the review of the scheme that the Commission is undertaking. This will be a key opportunity for the Commission to strengthen the scheme post-2012 by mapping out a long-term policy framework that will help create security and confidence for business and facilitate significant investment in cleaner technologies. The Government are already considering their priorities for the review and intend to work closely with the Commission and other member states throughout the process. We look forward to the Commission's report this summer outlining how the work will be taken forward.

Energy Efficiency

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the contribution that energy efficiency could make to meeting the Government's climate change targets.

Ian Pearson: Energy efficiency is an integral part of our action to tackle climate change. We have a strong package of energy efficiency policies and measures, as most recently updated in the 2006 Climate Change Programme, which will deliver savings of 10.2 million tonnes of carbon per year across the economy by 2010. This will equate to between 36 and 43 per cent. of the overall carbon savings in the Climate Change Programme, depending on the level of savings delivered through the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
	We expect energy efficiency to continue delivering against our climate change goals on a similar scale throughout the next decade.

Energy Saving Accreditation

Shahid Malik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to extend energy saving recommended accreditation to consumer electronic goods.

Ian Pearson: The Energy Saving Trust's Energy Saving Recommended (ESR) scheme was extended to cover consumer electronic goods in January 2006 when integrated digital TVs were added. To date nine manufacturers have been successful in securing endorsement for 90 products.
	The Energy Saving Trust hopes to be able to extend the range of consumer electronic products covered by ESR later this year. Priorities include integrated digital recording equipment and set top boxes.

English Nature

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the funding provided by English Nature for land managers in upland areas and commons was spent  (a) on grants to farmers and  (b) in administration expenses in each year since 2001.

Barry Gardiner: English Nature does not separately record the administrative costs incurred in setting up agreements. However, the Wildlife Enhancement Scheme was specifically designed to reduce administrative costs by the use of standard agreements and standard payments. Prior to this, each agreement was individually negotiated and could take up to a year to complete.

Environment Agency (Flood Defences)

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding was made available in 2005 to the West Midlands division of the Environment Agency for flood defences.

Ian Pearson: £19.1 million was allocated to Environment Agency flood defence projects and maintenance works in the West Midlands area in the financial year 2005-06.

Environmental Protection Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the operation of section 82 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990; what recent representations he has received about the operation of this  (a) section and  (b) Act; and what amendments have been made to the Act.

Ben Bradshaw: Section 82 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 allows a person with a complaint of statutory nuisance, for example, noise, smell or smoke, to take private action through the magistrates court. If the court agrees that a statutory nuisance exists and/or is likely to recur, it will issue an abatement notice on the person responsible for the nuisance, requiring that the nuisance be ceased or abated within a specified timescale. It may, but does not have to, specify the steps to be taken. Anyone causing a statutory nuisance could also be liable to a fine.
	The statutory nuisance provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 have been amended by measures implemented on 6 April 2006 in the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, which introduce insects, and artificial light, to the list of potential statutory nuisances. The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 also introduces an optional seven-day deferral for serving of an abatement notice for statutory nuisance from noise in order to pursue alternative steps before formal action is taken.
	The Government work as a matter of course with stakeholders and, on statutory nuisance from noise in particular, we will be seeking stakeholder views on the Noise Strategy, which will be the subject of full public consultation early in 2007.
	A large number of amendments have been made to the 1990 Environmental Protection Act and the cost of collating a list would be disproportionate. As there is no central record of representations received by the Department that would enable officials to identify those about the operation of the whole Act, it would also incur disproportionate cost to do so.

Factory Farming

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the welfare conditions of  (a) factory farmed poultry,  (b) egg-laying hens in battery cages and  (c) factory farmed fish.

Ben Bradshaw: This Government are committed to high standards of farm animal welfare. In Great Britain, we have some of the strictest legislation in the EU to protect the welfare of farmed animals.
	The State Veterinary Service (SVS) conducts regular programmed inspections of farmed premises to check the welfare of poultry. All complaints and allegations about poor welfare on-farm are investigated. In addition, a range of Government-funded research and advisory programmes are supporting our commitment to high standards of animal welfare.
	The Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) undertakes regular inspections of premises in England and Wales to check on the health and welfare of farmed fish and shellfish. Defra has funded a number of research projects on fish welfare. This includes work to develop a non-invasive procedure that can be used by fish farmers to establish whether the welfare of their fish has been compromised.

Farm Subsidies

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been paid in subsidies to farmers in Bassetlaw directly by  (a) the Government and  (b) the EU or its predecessors in each of the last 30 years.

Barry Gardiner: This information is not kept on a constituency basis, and information we do hold could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.

Fisheries

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average time taken to enter fisheries data on to the fisheries database was  (a) in the last period for which figures are available and  (b) in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: The Marine Fisheries Agency has an operational target to enter all information from fish markets, merchants, fishing log books, landing declarations and sales notes onto the fisheries database within five working days of receipt. This target relates to the processing of returns for which no follow-up or investigative action is required to resolve errors or anomalies.
	The capture of information on the date of receipt of forms at port offices was introduced in April 2003, and information for earlier periods cannot be provided.
	
		
			  Period  Percentage of forms entered within five working days 
			 2003-04 81.2 
			 2004-05 95.1 
			 2005-06 94.5

Foot and Mouth

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make an assessment of the likelihood of a recurrence of foot and mouth disease; which countries have outbreaks; and what procedures are in place to prevent food imports from those countries.

Ben Bradshaw: The risk of the introduction of foot and mouth disease (FMD) to Great Britain remains low.
	A very large number of countries experience regular foot and mouth outbreaks. We carry out constant surveillance of the animal health situation around the world, and publish preliminary outbreak assessments, qualitative risk assessments and summary reports on our website:
	www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/monitoring/index.htm
	All animals and animal products from countries outside the European Union are checked when imported to ensure they meet the necessary veterinary import conditions. Since 2003, additional resources have been made available to tackle illegal imports of products of animal origin. This increased enforcement activity has resulted in a three-fold increase in seizures. Enforcement is based on risk, including information provided by Defra on the animal health situation around the world, with assessments on new disease outbreaks.

Forest Certification Schemes

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2006 to question 72426, on forest certification schemes, what representations the Prime Minister of Australia made to  (a) the Prime Minister and  (b) other Government Ministers on the programme for the endorsement of forest certification schemes.

Barry Gardiner: The Prime Minister of Australia wrote to the Prime Minister expressing concern over the UK Government's assessment of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes (PEFC) and the impact that could have on the procurement of Australian forest products.
	My hon. Friend, Elliot Morley, then Minister of State for Climate Change and Environment met with Senator the Hon. Eric Abetz, Australian Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation, to discuss this matter.
	Senator Abetz and other officials were able to clarify how the PEFC requirements are adopted and applied in Australia. The clarification of Australia's position was valuable in helping to consider the effectiveness of recent changes made by the PEFC scheme to its system requirements.

GM Crops

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government will base the co-existence and liability regime governing the growing of GM crops in England on the assumption that the growing of GM crops may become widespread.

Ian Pearson: We cannot be certain about the extent to which authorised GM crops may be grown in England in the future. However, our assumption is that this would start off at a relatively low level, becoming more widespread over time if there is market acceptance. We will review the coexistence regime introduced for England in the light of developments in the scale of any GM cropping. On-going Defra and EU research will also provide more evidence to help us judge what coexistence measures might be needed if GM crops become widespread.

H5 Virus

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many separate cases of the H5 virus have been discovered in the UK since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: Two. Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza was detected in a parrot in a quarantine facility in Essex in October 2005 and a swan in Cellardyke, Scotland in April 2006.

Live Calves (Export)

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2006 to the hon. Member for Dover (Gwyn Prosser),  Official Report, column 485W, on live calves (export), what steps he has taken to assist farmers to rear and market veal calves in the UK.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1296W.

Marine Fisheries Agency

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his written statement of 16 May 2006,  Official Report, column 48WS, on the Marine Fisheries Agency performance targets 2006-07, what measures the agency has in place to monitor the quota stocks target; and what the risk weightings referred to are.

Ben Bradshaw: The Marine Fisheries Agency, along with other fisheries administrations in the UK, operates systems as required by EU legislation to monitor and control the activity of UK fishing vessels to ensure quotas allocated to the UK are not exceeded. This involves maintaining dedicated systems for the collection and collation of information from vessel logbooks and landing declarations, as well as information from sales notes from registered buyers and sellers of fish. The information from UK systems is collated to produce reports on the level of uptake of quotas that are updated on a daily or weekly basis as appropriate. These reports are used by fisheries administrations, producer organisations and other groups in the UK to manage the individual quota allocations during each year. Monthly reports are provided to the European Commission, with measures also in place to check and validate information received by the Commission from other member states on landings by UK vessels outside the UK. The agency takes management action, as necessary, to control or close activity in particular fisheries to ensure quotas limits are complied with.
	The risk weightings relate to enforcement of sea fisheries legislation. The Marine Fisheries Agency aims to deploy 60 per cent. of its inspection and enforcement resources to high risk fisheries, 30 per cent. medium risk and 10 per cent. low risk. The specific risk weightings take account of a number of factors, including the nature of the fishery, the area and the type of fishing activity. For instance, we would consider vessels fishing in an area and for a species for which specific recovery measures have been introduced to be classified as 'high risk'. The agency is developing a computer model to assist in analysing a wide range of factors to determine compliance risks in fisheries for the medium to long term so that its resources can be deployed and utilised to best effect.

Marine Fisheries Agency

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) under and  (b) over 10 metre licences were issued by the Marine Fisheries Agency in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table sets out the number of licences issued to fishing vessels administered in England and Wales by  (a) vessels of 10 metres and under in length, and  (b) vessels of over 10 metres in length.
	
		
			   (a) 10 metres and under  (b) over 10 metres 
			 1997 0 1,000 
			 1998 3,342 1,070 
			 1999 0 938 
			 2000 3,203 890 
			 2001 0 842 
			 2002 3,041 805 
			 2003 0 731 
			 2004 3,004 696 
			 2005 0 656 
			 2006 n/a 649 
		
	
	Licences for fishing vessels over 10 metres in length were issued annually. Since 1996 licences for vessels of 10 metres and under in length have been issued biennially. Licences for fishing vessels of 10 metres and under in length will be issued again in June 2006.
	Licences for vessels in Scotland and Northern Ireland were issued by the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development respectively.

Marine Fisheries Agency

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many 10 metre licences have been issued by the Marine Fisheries Agency.

Ben Bradshaw: In December 2005 the Marine Fisheries Agency issued licences for 649 fishing vessels of over 10 metres in length administered in England and Wales.
	Licences for fishing vessels in Scotland and Northern Ireland were issued by the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development respectively.

Ministerial Meetings

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from his Department last met representatives from the Composting Association.

Ben Bradshaw: I met representatives from the Composting Association on 22 August 2005; my officials met a representative on 25 May this year.

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department have stayed overnight in (i) five star, (ii) four star and (iii) three star hotels in each of the last three years.

Barry Gardiner: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  April 2003 to March 2004 
			  ResCompany  Star  Room nights  Turnover (£) 
			 DEFRA 5 10 1,180.01 
			 DEFRA 4 1,789 145,671.52 
			 DEFRA 3 3,021 203,135.67 
			 DEFRA 2 331 18,677.35 
			 DEFRA 1 1 50.00 
			 DEFRA 0 1,299 78,586.89 
			 Total  6,451 447,301.44 
		
	
	
		
			  April 2004 to March 2005 
			  ResCompany  Star  Room nights  Turnover (£) 
			 DEFRA 5 9 824.00 
			 DEFRA 4 1,385 116,026.78 
			 DEFRA 3 3,217 231,565.86 
			 DEFRA 2 263 16,907.75 
			 DEFRA 1 13 964.75 
			 DEFRA 0 1,002 65,265.02 
			 Total  5,889 431,554.16 
		
	
	
		
			  April 2005 to March 2006 
			  ResCompany  Star  Room nights  Turnover (£) 
			 DEFRA 5 12 1,108.00 
			 DEFRA 4 1,076 97,709.85 
			 DEFRA 3 3,461 253,475.01 
			 DEFRA 2 180 12,397.55 
			 DEFRA 1 1 65.50 
			 DEFRA 0 764 49,713.11 
			 Total  5,494 414,469.02

Part-time Ministerial Post

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factors he took into account when deciding that the post of Minister of State (Sustainable Farming and Foods) should be a part-time post.

Barry Gardiner: The post of the Minister of State (Sustainable Farming and Foods) is full-time. In accordance with long standing practice Lords Ministers with particular departmental responsibilities also act as spokesmen for other Departments in the House of Lords. Lord Rooker acts as spokesman for Northern Ireland and is also deputy leader of the House of Lords.

Pesticides Safety Directorate

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 16 May 2006,  Official Report, column 46WS, on the Pesticides Safety Directorate (Performance Targets 2006-07), who is responsible for progress on each of the targets; to whom each person reports; what recent discussions he has had about implementation of each target; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Pesticides Safety Directorate's performance targets are set by the Minister of State and published in the agency's Business Plan. The executive responsibility for delivering these targets lies with the agency's chief executive who is supported by three operational directors and one non-executive director who together are responsible for the day-to-day management of the agency and its business. In addition, the strategic direction and performance of the agency is monitored on behalf of the Minister by the Department's Regulatory Agencies Strategy Board. The agency's achievements against its targets, along with membership details of its management board and that of the Regulatory Agencies Strategy Board, are given in the agency's Annual Report and Accounts.

Poultry Meat

Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the impact on the UK poultry industry of imports of surplus meat from other EU countries following outbreaks of avian influenza.

Ben Bradshaw: Imports of poultry meat into the UK from some EU countries has affected the domestic wholesale market. There is nothing illegal about this practice, which is consistent with Single European Market principles. Further, it is anticipated that recent high levels of imports will begin to fall away as surplus European supplies diminish.

Private Office Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been paid in  (a) salary,  (b) travelling expenses,  (c) subsistence allowance and  (d) removal expenses to special advisers in his private office in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each pay band. For information relating to the last financial year I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, on 21 July 2005.  Official Report, columns 158-61WS.
	Information on special advisers for this financial year is currently being collected and will be published in the normal way when it is ready.

Queen's Flight

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what occasions she has travelled on the Queen's Flight since 2002; what the  (a) departure point,  (b) destination,  (c) distance travelled and  (d) cost was of each flight; how many (i) other Ministers and (ii) officials travelled on the same flight; how the costs are calculated; and on what basis decisions are made on whether such flights are cost effective.

Barry Gardiner: The use of 32 Squadron flights is governed by time and cost considerations. The rules on the use of special flights are set out in "Travel by Ministers". The annual lists of overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500 set out when special flights are used, and the purpose of each trip. Copies are available in the Library. Carbon dioxide emissions arising from 32 Squadron flights are included in the Government's carbon offsetting commitment. Carbon emissions arising from the use of these flights have been recorded and offset in the same way as the use of scheduled flights since April 2005.

Rural Enterprise Scheme

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what grants have been allocated under the Rural Enterprise Scheme in the South West in each month since December 2005.

Barry Gardiner: The following figures show the number of applications approved in the South West region, in each month from December 2005 onwards. The numbers have been broken down by measure, to show the type of activity for which funding has been approved.
	The funding awarded covers activity to take place across financial years 2005-06 to 2008-09.
	
		
			  December 2005 
			  Measure  Number of projects  Total funding offered (£) 
			 Basic Services 1 62,156 
			 Renovation and development of villages 5 274,789 
			 Diversification 8 322,573 
			 Encouragement for tourism and craft activities 1 25,685 
			 Total 15 685,203 
		
	
	
		
			  January 2006 
			  Measure  Number of projects  Total funding offered (£) 
			 Diversification 1 13,325 
			 Development of Infrastructure 1 13,015 
			 Encouragement for tourism and craft activities 1 10,972 
			 Total 3 37,312 
		
	
	
		
			  February 2006 
			  Measure  Number of projects  Total funding offered (£) 
			 Marketing of Quality Agricultural Products 1 15,000 
			 Basic Services 1 41,251 
			 Renovation and development of villages 5 347,082 
			 Diversification 8 442,924 
			 Development of Infrastructure 1 6,361 
			 Encouragement for tourism and craft activities 1 4,500 
			 Total 17 857,118 
		
	
	
		
			  March 2006 
			  Measure  Number of projects  Total funding offered (£) 
			 Basic Services 2 76,509 
			 Renovation and development of villages 4 310,931 
			 Diversification 6 693,512 
			 Total 12 1,080,952 
		
	
	
		
			  April 2006 
			  Measure  Number of projects  Total funding offered (£) 
			 Basic Services 1 13,983 
			 Renovation and development of villages 2 29,990 
			 Diversification 3 24,108 
			 Encouragement for tourism and craft activities 1 13,179 
			 Total 7 81,260

Rural Enterprise Scheme

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance his Department has provided to farmers to facilitate applications to the Rural Enterprise Scheme.

Barry Gardiner: Across the country, Regional Appraisal Panels have awarded Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES) grants to a number of facilitation projects and co-ordination bodies, totalling approximately £1.5 million, which includes significant support for farmer applicants. For example, one project in the West Midlands regions was awarded over £150,000 as a co-ordination body to facilitate the development of broad, high quality innovative and collaborative new projects in rural Warwickshire that had the potential to be funded under RES.
	When the Rural Enterprise Scheme guidance notes for applicants were updated in 2004, an additional booklet providing advice on preparing a business plan for socio-economic projects was also developed and provided to prospective applicants.
	Rural Development Service staff across the country have continually provided help and advice to prospective applicants as part of their day-to-day activity running the scheme. This has included pre-application clinics, advice and direction on priorities for funding, and site visits to discuss projects.

Rural Enterprise Scheme

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications have been received for the rural enterprise scheme in  (a) England and  (b) each Government region; how much money has been made available as part of the scheme in (i) England and (ii) each Government region; what percentage of the funds in each area have been allocated; to what extent funds allocated to the south west have been withdrawn to compensate for overspends in other parts of the country; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 25 May 2006
	The following table provides details on the rural enterprise scheme which operates within the 2000 to 2006 England Rural Development Programme. Figures provided are up to date as of 23 May 2006:
	
		
			  Region  Total number of RES applications received 2000 to 2006  Total number of RES applications approved to date  Value of RES budget 2000 to 2006 (£ million)  Percentage of RES budget allocated 2000 to 2006 (percentage) 
			 North East 511 293 10.0 94 
			 North West 704 423 20.0 86 
			 East Midlands 609 272 25.6 86 
			 West Midlands 683 367 16.7 84 
			 South West 919 408 18.5 86 
			 Yorks and Humber 584 311 14.5 97 
			 East of England 607 271 13.7 77 
			 South East 612 330 13.8 87 
			 National(1) 46 17 7.2 29 
			 Total for England 5,275 2,692 140.0 84 
			 (1 )National covers projects that span a number of regional boundaries. 
		
	
	No funds have been withdrawn from south west region's allocation.
	Under the EU regulations supporting the rural enterprise scheme, 50 per cent. of funding comes from the European Union. These European funds are allocated on an annual basis and it is generally not possible to transfer any unspent EU funds to a later financial year. This scheme, therefore, requires close and careful financial management To this end, each region is given an annual budget within which it must manage the grant awards it has made. This will include any delays to project expenditure and therefore delays to claims, as well as any under or over-claims by beneficiaries.
	The performance of approved projects is subject to continuous review to establish the true value of any 'headroom' in annual budgets. For 2006-07, a detailed exercise is in place to ensure that budgets are used to the maximum extent possible. In this regard, it is expected that some additional monies will be identified as available to support new grant awards before the closure of the scheme at the end of June. The precise value of funds available for grant awards will be confirmed by mid-June.
	There will continue to be significant competition for the remaining funds, the Rural Development Service will continue to manage the position carefully in 2006-07, with a view to the possible redirection of funds between regions where regional interest in the scheme is genuinely lower than anticipated.

Rural Enterprise Scheme

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether money allocated to the South West for grants to be made under the Rural Enterprise Scheme has been subsequently transferred to other areas.

Barry Gardiner: No funds have been withdrawn from the South West under the Rural Enterprise Scheme for transfer to other areas.

Rural Payments Agency

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many payments have been made by the Rural Payments Agency to farmers in  (a) mid-Bedfordshire,  (b) Bedfordshire and  (c) the UK in each year since 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: Details of payments made by the Rural Payments Agency under farm-based schemes are set out in the tables. Payments to farmers in mid-Bedfordshire and in Bedfordshire are available only for the two years 2003-04 and 2004-05.
	
		
			  (a) Payments made to farmers for mid-Bedfordshire 
			   £ million 
			 2003-04 6.708 
			 2004-05 6.638 
			  Note:  Analysis by parliamentary constituency is not available prior to this date. 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Payments made to farmers in Bedfordshire 
			   £ million 
			 2003-04 18.455 
			 2004-05 17.670 
		
	
	
		
			  (c) Data for farmed-based schemes payments made by RPA for England 
			   £ million 
			 2000-01 1,400.391 
			 2001-02 1,424.346 
			 2002-03 1,549.150 
			 2003-04 1,799.029 
			 2004-05 2,119.490 
		
	
	The detail supporting each of the years in the tables can be found in RPA's Annual Report and Accounts under House of Commons publication numbers HC 1197 (for both 2000-01 and 2001-02), HC 940, HC 1009 and HC 82 respectively.

Rural Payments Agency

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many claim forms for the 2006-07 Single Payments Scheme  (a) were sent by the Rural Payments Agency to potential applicants before 13 April 2006 and  (b) have been sent on or since 13 April 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payments Agency issued 84,334 SPS application forms to potential applicants before 13 April 2006 and a further 33,902 application forms have been issued on or since 13 April 2006.

Rural Payments Agency

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people have been sent a set of application forms for payments in 2006 by the Rural Payments Agency; how many completed applications have been returned; and how many forms remain to be issued.

Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payments Agency issued 118,236 SP5 application forms between 21 March 2006 and 26 April 2006 to known customers. As of 25 May 2006, 90,225 completed application forms have been returned and logged. No forms remain to be issued.

Rural Payments Agency

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what proportion of e-mails to the Rural Payments Agency have been  (a) acknowledged within one working day and  (b) replied to within 15 working days in each month since October 2001.

Barry Gardiner: The following information refers to e-mails sent to the Rural Payments Agency's Customer Service Centre (CSC) e-mail address CSC@rpa.gsi.gov.uk. The CSC was established in February 2005 and the following information is based upon statistics collected from 29 April 2005 to 16 May 2006.
	
		
			  Month  e-mails received  Resolved within 15 days 
			 April 2005 71 61 
			 May 2005 1,519 1,416 
			 June 2005 341 277 
			 July 2005 495 433 
			 August 2005 583 515 
			 September 2005 647 523 
			 October 2005 772 659 
			 November 2005 813 665 
			 December 2005 888 757 
			
			 January 2006 1,148 906 
			 February 2006 1,002 760 
			 March 2006 3,057 2,857 
			 April 2006 1,356 1,111 
			 May 2006 969 785 
		
	
	All emails to CSC@rpa.gsi.gov.uk are acknowledged automatically. The acknowledgement includes a set of frequently asked questions aimed at answering the customer's general questions immediately.

Rural Payments Agency

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many telephone calls to the Rural Payments Agency Customer Service Centre resulted in left messages in the last 12 months; and what proportion of those calls were returned within one working day.

Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payment Agency's (RPA) Customer Service Centre (CSC) provides an inquiry response facility and, outside business hours, a recorded messaging service, referring customers to RPA's website. As such the CSC seeks to answer inquiries as they are made. A proportion of the inquiries that are answered require a follow up response from a CSC operator or a member of RPA's processing staff. Moreover, RPA provides an electronic ordering facility for those customers seeking to acquire an application form or other scheme literature.
	RPA launched a CSC on 14 February 2005. This was done to streamline single payment scheme and customer registration telephone inquiries into the Agency through one route, to allow staff to concentrate on processing. More importantly, this system aims to ensure that customers receive consistent answers and any more complex inquiries can be directed to specialist areas of the business to call the customer back.
	The main call centre is based in Workington with facilities for calls to be diverted to staff at other RPA sites during periods of unusually high demand.

Rural Payments Agency

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what IT contracts the Rural Payments Agency has with private businesses; what the cost of each is; and what assessment he has made of their value for money.

Barry Gardiner: Details of expenditure on major IT contracts in the year 2005-06 were:
	
		
			  Major IT hardware/software contracts—£500,000 
			Contract (£) 
			 Accenture Applications software development, maintenance, support and operations 22.19 million 
			 Computacenter (UK) Ltd. Hardware and software 2.38 million 
			 Sungard Sherwood Systems Applications software development, maintenance, support and operations 4.38 million 
			 IBM IT infrastructure management and operations. Applications software development, maintenance, support and operations 15.49 million 
			 Oracle Corporation UK Ltd. Software licences and services 848,000 
			 Xansa UK Applications software development, maintenance and support 658,000 
		
	
	 Other hardware/software contracts—under £500,000
	(a) 17 suppliers with total expenditure 2005-06 of approximately £1.14 million.
	(b) The suppliers were
	Albany Software
	Axios Systems Consultants
	Banctec Ltd.
	Business Objects UK Ltd.
	Casewise Ltd.
	Dell Computer Corporation
	EMC Documentum Ltd.
	Korec Ltd.
	Memex Technology
	Mercury Interactive
	Novell UK
	Officevision Ltd.
	Quest Software (UK) Ltd.
	Serena Software Europe Ltd.
	Sun Microsystems Ltd.
	Verisign UK Ltd.
	Visualfiles Ltd.
	 Telecommunications contracts (voice/data/mobile and videoconference)
	(a) Eight suppliers with total expenditure 2005-06 of approximately £2.63 million
	(b) The suppliers were
	BT
	Cable and Wireless
	Energis Communications
	Grapevine Communications Ltd.
	Internal Videocomms Ltd.
	Orange
	Siemens PLC
	Vodafone Ltd.
	 IT consultancy contracts
	
		
			  Major contracts—over £500,000 
			   £ 
			 Atos Consulting Ltd. 5.39 million 
			 Hays IT 2.15 million 
			 Methods Consulting Ltd. 8.11 million 
			 PMR Group PLC 702,000 
			 Xansa Recruitment 1.44 million 
		
	
	 Other consultancy contracts
	(a) Seven suppliers with total expenditure 2005-06 of approximately £1.42 million.
	(b) The suppliers were
	Gartner Group
	IT Service and Support Consulting
	Logica/CMG
	PA Consulting Group
	Parity Solutions Ltd.
	Scisys Ltd.
	Tribal Yale
	To provide assurance on the effectiveness of controls, continuous improvement and value for money the RPA purchasing and contract management functions are subject to regular audit and value for money assessments.
	The question relates to the "cost" of contracts. As there are several interpretations of this, and to give the best clarity and comparison I have provided expenditure figures for 2005-06.
	The scope of "IT contracts" is also open for interpretation. In addition to the contracts which include "tangible" IT goods and communications I have also included detail of the expenditure under the IT consultancy contracts, as the majority of work under these contracts is for IT or IS consultancy, or is IT project/programme related.

Rural Payments Agency

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the backlog is of Rural Payments Agency cases for  (a) single farm payments and  (b) entry level scheme payments; what plans he has to reduce each backlog; and by what date the Rural Payments Agency will have cleared its backlog.

Barry Gardiner: The information is as follows:
	 (a) By close of business on 23 May 2006, 93,710 single payment scheme claimants had received either a full or substantial partial payment. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is working hard to ensure that outstanding payments are made as quickly as possible.
	 (b) At 12 May, 93 per cent. of environmental stewardship payments due in the first three payment rounds (February-April) had been made, leaving 654 outstanding of a potential total of 9,097. The Rural Development Service, who administer the scheme and RPA who make the payments are working hard to ensure that outstanding payments are made as quickly as possible.
	The deadline for application under the single payment scheme in 2005 was 16 May. The regulatory payment window for the scheme is from 1 December-30 June, but RPA announced in early 2005, that the most probable time frame for payments to begin being made was in February 2005. This target was met, as the first payments were issued on 20 February. Full payments were continuing to be made until 5 May, when it was announced that substantial partial payments were going to be made to a large number of farmers yet to receive a payment. These were made by 12 May with full payments and top up payments currently being made.
	RPA is working hard to ensure that outstanding payments will be made as quickly as possible.

Rural Payments Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factors have contributed to the increases in the cost of running the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) since 2003-04; and what the original budget allocation was for the RPA at the beginning of  (a) 2003-04 and  (b) 2004-05.

Barry Gardiner: The original running cost budget allocations for the Rural Payments Agency were:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2003-04 196.170 
			 2004-05 193.161 
		
	
	These allocations did not include any funding for non-cash costs such as depreciation and the cost of capital, nor the Agency's contribution to the corporate costs of its parent department, the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	RPA running costs have increased as a result of additional responsibilities taken on by the Agency over the last three financial years. These include:
	The merger with the British Cattle Movement Service;
	Structural Funds;
	National Fallen Stock Scheme;
	Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy including the introduction of the Single Payment Scheme.
	In each of the years since 2003-04 the original budget allocations have been supplemented by additional funding provided by DEFRA, to cover these additional responsibilities. In particular, the Agency has reduced the number of permanent staff and introduced IT systems to make efficiency savings in the longer term.

Securing the Benefits (Grant Applications)

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many grant applications for the fishing industry made under the scheme set out in Securing the Benefits have taken longer than eight weeks to process in 2006; what the average processing time has been; and how many applications were processed within the eight week target in 2005.

Ben Bradshaw: For the period 1 January 2006 to19 May 2006, 55 out of 57 grant claims made under the financial instrument for fisheries guidance scheme(96 per cent.) were processed within eight weeks. The average processing time was 19 working days including the time taken to chase additional necessary information from the claimant.
	For 2005, 123 out of 136 grant claims (90 per cent.) were processed within eight weeks. The average processing time was 23 working days including the time taken to chase additional necessary information from the claimant.

Single Farm Payments

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact on the Department's targets to pay applicants for single farm payment of the rejection of entitlements which are declared invalidated.

Barry Gardiner: The rejection of Single Payment Scheme claims because they are not valid does not affect the Rural Payments Agency's target to make 96.14 per cent. of valid SPS payments by the end of the payment window on 30 June 2006.
	The deadline for the Single Payment Scheme in 2005 was 16 May. The regulatory payment window for the scheme is from 1 December to 30 June, but the Rural payments Agency announced in early 2005, that the most probable time frame for payments to begin being made was in February 2005. This target was met, as the first payments were issued on 20 February. Full payments were continuing to be made until 5 May, when it was announced that substantial partial payments were going to be made to a large number of farmers yet to receive a payment. These were made by 12 May with full payments and top-up payments currently being made.
	The Rural Payments Agency is working hard to ensure that outstanding payments will be made as quickly as possible.

Single Farm Payments

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to ensure that all validated single payment scheme (SPS) entitlement statements are issued by the end of March; and how many farmers in Devon have received  (a) validated and  (b) unvalidated SPS statements.

Barry Gardiner: 120,367 applications were received for the Single Payment Scheme (SPS). By the end of Monday 22 May, 93,710 claimants have received a full or partial payment. This represents 78 per cent. ofthe customer base now having received a total of £1.322 billion. This equates to 88 per cent. of the£1.5 billion fund.
	The remaining payments will be made as soon as legally possible following the positive action set out in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's written statement on 16 March 2006,  Official Report, column 104WS, the response to the hon. Member for South East Cambridgeshire on 27 March 2006,  Official Report, column 543, and the written statement on19 April 2006,  Official Report, column 13WS.
	The Rural Payments Agency does not have data available on a regional basis, as the scheme is not administered in this way.

Single Farm Payments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what percentage of 2005 Single Farm Payment Scheme claims he expects to be paid by 30 June 2006; what the value of each such payment will be; and whether those claims unpaid by that date will be  (a) subject to EU reimbursement and  (b) met from public funds.

Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is working hard to ensure that outstanding payments will be made as quickly as possible. By 16 May some £1.3 billion had been paid, representing 87 per cent. of the total projected expenditure. The value of each payment will depend on the size of the claim and the proportion that is determined as eligible.
	Any 2005 scheme claims unpaid by the end of June 2006 will be subject to a sliding scale of EU reimbursement. The reduction in the rate of reimbursement will not apply to the first 4 per cent. of the expenditure and any subsidy paid after 15 October 2006 will not be reimbursed.
	My officials have approached the European Commission to request an extension to the 2005 SPS payment window, although as yet, no response has been received.
	The deadline for the Single Payment Scheme in 2005 was 16 May. The regulatory payment window for the scheme is from 1 December to 30 June, but RPA announced in early 2005 that the most probable time frame for payments to begin being made was in February 2006. This target was met, as the first payments were issued on 20 February. Full payments were continuing to be made until 5 May, when it was announced that substantial partial payments were going to be made to a large number of farmers yet to receive a payment. These were made by 12 May with full payments and top-up payments currently being made.
	RPA is working hard to ensure that outstanding payments will be made as quickly as possible.

Single Farm Payments

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what percentage of eligible claimants for the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) had lodged their SPS claim forms by 15 May 2006; if he will estimate how much and what percentage of total SPS monies for 2006 these claims represent; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: 52,204 Single Payment Scheme applications were received on or before 15 May 2006.
	The Rural Payments Agency is not able to determine how many of these forms are valid until they have been through level 1 validation checks to ensure that basic information is present on the form.
	Until these forms are entered into the computer system the RPA is unable to establish the value of the eligible claims.
	118,236 Single Payment Scheme application forms have been sent to potential claimants plus an additional 1,500 application forms requested by potentially new applicants to the 2006 scheme.
	A copy of the 2006 application form is also available for customers to download and complete from the RPA website. Customers can also collect blank application forms from RPA offices and drop-in centres located around the country.
	As announced on 5 May, applications to the 2006 SPS received between 16-31 May will not attract late claim penalties.

Single Farm Payments

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on the progress of the delivery of single farm payments to farmers.

Barry Gardiner: By close of business on 23 May 2006, 93,710 single payment scheme claimants had received either a full or substantial partial payment. The Rural Payments Agency is working hard to ensure that outstanding payments are made as quickly as possible.

United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement Meeting

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what issues he plans to raise at the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement meeting in New York on 22 to 26 May.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK played an active role in the preparation of the EU position for this meeting and at the meeting itself. This included looking at the 15 elements chosen for assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of the UN Fish Stock Agreement, and suggesting means of strengthening the substance and methods of the Agreements implementation.
	In addition, the UK hosted a State meeting at the conference to profile the report of the High Seas Task Force into Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, presenting the UK's action plan for taking forward the report 's recommendations. The event was well attended by representatives of State, NGOs and other interested bodies.

Venezuelan Discounted Oil (Environmental Impact)

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential environmental impact of the supply of discounted oil to London by Venezuela; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: We are not aware of any firm commitment by the Government of Venezuela wishes to supply oil or oil products at discounted rates to the UK. In the absence of this and any specific details I am unable to speculate on the potential environmental implications of this proposal.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding  (a) his Department and  (b) the Environment Agency has (i) allocated and (ii) spent on supporting charitable organisations in preparation for the implementation of the waste electrical and electronic equipment directive.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra has not allocated or provided funding to charities specifically in preparation for the implementation of the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) directive.
	In April 2005, Defra awarded a total of £3 million to 36 community groups working with waste in England, under the Waste Partnership Fund (WPF). A number of the community projects that are being taken forward will support the reuse and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment.
	The Environment Agency (EA) has provided some support to charitable refurbishers at a local level. Nationally, support has been given through work with Envirowise on their national programme of WEEE seminars. The EA has agreed an interim position on WEEE permitting which has saved many small-scale WEEE refurbishers the cost of obtaining a waste management licence in the period before new licensing exemptions are available.

Water Charges

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will introduce legislation to allow householders to reverse a decision to accommodate a water meter once installed; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Water customers have, since 2000, had some choice in how their charges are calculated and customers who would benefit from a metered charge can request a meter to be installed free-of-charge. Customers also have the corresponding right to revert back to an unmeasured charge within a year if they feel that it does not best suit their needs.

Water Industry

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at what level of available water supply a water company may apply to take remedial action to avoid water shortages.

Ian Pearson: All water companies have drought plans setting out how the company will continue to meet its duty to maintain an adequate supply of water during a short-term water shortage. These plans are now a statutory requirement. The plans contain various triggers to initiate a range of actions at differing stages depending on the severity of a drought. One of the actions may involve applying to my Department for drought orders to restrict non- essential uses of water.

Water Industry

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures he is taking to ensure that residents of Tendring do not run out of water.

Ian Pearson: Water companies' plans for meeting demand were set out in their 25-year water resources plans, prepared in 2004. The Environment Agency reported on those plans in "Maintaining Water Supply", which is available from its website at:
	http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/commondata/acrobat/mws_837514.pdf
	Water companies also have drought plans which set out how they will meet their duties to supply adequate quantities of wholesome water during drought periods with as little recourse as possible to drought orders and permits. The plans contain various triggers to initiate a range of actions at differing stages depending on the severity of a drought.

Water Industry

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to assess the merits of  (a) cloud seeding and  (b) desalination as ways of meeting the UK water supply requirements.

Ian Pearson: Water companies are responsible for considering the need for increasing provision of water in fulfilment of their duties to maintain adequate supplies of water. The companies' plans for meeting demand were set out in their 25 year water resources plans, prepared in 2004. The Environment Agency reported on those plans in "Maintaining Water Supply", which is available from its web site.
	No water company has plans to seed clouds in its water resources plan. The merits of desalination on a significant scale are currently the subject of a public inquiry following Thames Water's appeal against refusal of planning permission for a plant in the Thames estuary.

Water Leakage

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of Thames Water's spending on the renewal of its water distribution network.

Ian Pearson: The Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) sets price limits for water companies. In the price limits for 2005-10, Thames Water was allowed £279 million to renew its water infrastructure. This will enable Thames to increase activity to maintain its pipes, including the renewal of about 1,400 km of water distribution mains.

Water Reduction

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what schemes are being promoted by his Department to provide  (a) low cost water butts and  (b) other water reduction devices in areas of England subject to hosepipe bans.

Ian Pearson: Under the Water Industry Act 1991, water companies have a duty to promote the efficient use of water by their customers. As part of the activities they undertake to meet this duty, many water companies offer subsidised water butts to customers as well as other water saving devices, such as those that lower toilet flush volumes. This duty is exercised regardless of whether a hosepipe ban is in place, though publicity advertising the availability of water saving devices is likely to be increased during these periods.

Water Saving

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the impact of water saving regimes under drought orders in London and the South East on incoming tourism.

Ian Pearson: I have had no such discussions with the Secretary of State of Culture, Media and Sport, however drought orders are unlikely to impact to any significant extent on tourism in London and the South-East.

Water Saving

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what new water-saving measures have been introduced in departmental offices in London and the South East since 1 January.

Ian Pearson: No specific new measures have been introduced within Defra offices in London and the South East since 1 January. However, water consumption at all sites is monitored on a regular basis and compared with targets set out in the framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate (SDiG). Leaks and metering problems are taken up with suppliers and appropriate efficiency measures are put in place to deal with other causes of high consumption.
	All refurbishment projects involving Defra offices have included water saving measures. Waterless urinal systems and low flush cisterns have been successfully installed at a number of sites to provide consistent savings in water consumption. Percussion or spray taps or taps with sensors are also delivering significant savings.
	These initiatives will continue to be extended to other sites across the estate. Other issues under consideration are the sub-metering of areas where there is a high water use, for example in catering sites and crèches.
	As part of the World Environment Day campaign water hogs were made available for use within Defra sites and also for staff to take home.
	Defra's published responses to SDiG targets are available at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/sdstrategy/operations/partc.htm.